Possible Alternatives to the BSA

A few days ago, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) lifted a ban on openly gay youth, a change that will begin January 2014. A ban on gay Scout leaders remains in place.

Don't get me wrong on this. I don't have anything against the move by more than 61 percent of the Boy Scouts national council to approve a resolution overturning the longstanding ban at its annual meeting in Texas nor I am trying to "gain anything from someone else's misfortune". In fact, it could be the right move by the BSA in the right direction.

Not So Funny: Vice Ganda's Rape Joke

Blame it on Vice Ganda. Because of “Showtime’s” host outburst during his recent concert, the entertainment industry will be taking about rape jokes for days now. Are they ever funny? Who can tell them? Who can’t? And if they aren’t funny, are you an awful person for laughing at them?

José Marie Borja-Vicera, the real name of Ganda, started one segment in his "I-Vice Ganda Mo 'Ko Concert last 17 May 2013 with a bad joke about GMA-7’s anchor Jessica Soho. He named Jessica as one of the famous personalities who would be preposterous in sexy roles.

New HIV Cases in the Philippines

According to the Department of Health (DOH) National Epidemiology Center, there were 370 new HIV Ab sero-positive individuals confirmed by the STD/AIDS Cooperative Central Laboratory (SACCL) and reported to the HIV and AIDS Registry in March 2013. This was 18 percent higher compared to the same period last year (n=313 in 2012).

Most of the cases (96 percent) were males. The median age was 28 years (age range: 17-63 years). The 20-29 year (55 percent) age group had the most number of cases. Reported mode of transmission were sexual contact (364) and needle sharing among injecting drug users (6). Males having sex with other males (85 percent) were the predominant type of sexual transmission. Most (97 percent) of the cases were still asymptomatic at the time of reporting.

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"Brigada Eskwela" 2013

The Department of Education (DepEd) will once again conduct its yearly National Maintenance Week or the Brigada Eskwela. It aims to enjoin the whole community to do repairs, maintenance, and clean up of schools prior to the opening of classes. It hopes to make schools ready for the students and teachers, engage the participation of community stakeholders in education, and revive the bayanihan spirit.

Scheduled on 20 to 25 May 2013, this year's Brigada, which is on its tenth year, carries the theme "Isang Dekada ng Bayanihan sa Paaralan."

Should BSA Allow Gay Members?

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has been under some pressure from several groups lately to amend their stance on banning gay scouts. Last Friday (19 April 2013), as they try to seek for an elusive middle ground on an issue that has divided its ranks and drawn heated national debate, the organization proposed ending its longstanding ban on openly gay scouts but continuing to bar gay adults from serving as leaders.

The proposal was put on the table but it must still gain the approval of the roughly 1,400 voting members of the Scouts' National Council at a meeting in Texas the week of May 20.