The past that stuck out the most to me was the part where the woman on the panel talked about improving conditions for those who have it the worst off. That if we improve things for the least fortunate everyone benefits. Raising the quality of life and education for them will have toe biggest overall impact on the state of our nation.

The gentlemen who made the chip fall where they may point clearly does not play poker. He says that the chip will fall on the least fortunate like that getting the chips is a bad thing. You want the chips the chips are good. If he does not want the chips ill take them. Someone needs to learn poker.

The core of this article for me is emphasizing the need to be involved with the community you live in. It is in our power to make our own communities a better place even if it is only in a small way. The trick is getting everyone to contribute there own small part to make the large changes that need to happen. The video posted to you tube by video game developer Valve. The video show cases their game Portal 2 as an educational tool. This is a company making an impact on the lives of students helping them learn. A company like Valve can make a large impact all by itself, but I feel as individuals any small contribution we can make will add up.

Television, music, and film all heavily influence the children who view them. Children have a bad habit of repeating everything they see and hear. This unsurprisingly enough applies to advertising as well. Kids want to bring there favorite cartoons home and play have them be a part of there lives. Advertisers know this well. Well enough that the goal of these cartoons at times is neither to entertain nor educate but to sell toys and merchandise. The best example of this is the Transformers franchise. Introducing a plethora of new characters every week for the next series of toys to be based on. Ohh look the main character saved the day with a new gadget, there is a new toy coming show casing the Hero with his new device.
"Many student don't want to believe they have been manipulated" This will lead to them falling into the same traps again and again. To avoid a trap you need to be aware the trap exists. A similar practice in my opinion is television programs that only exist for the sake of there own existence. The plot never progresses and there is no end of the story in sight, the show revolves around maintaining a status quo and will continue to recycle the same scenarios until viewership drops enough for the show to be canceled. Personally a story with no hope of ending is rather boring.

The article is talking about the staffs sexuality and I do not know why that is coming up in a classroom setting or even in the staff room. Someones sexual preferences are a personal matter why is it even coming up in a work environment at all? It has no baring on if you can preform your job or not. If were talking about providing a classroom/workplace where LBGTQ people feel safe and accepted that I get. I guess its just my opinion that whoever you want to share your bed with is not any of my business you should not have to share that information with anyone unless you want to.

As far as LBGTQ culture is concerned I am entirely in the dark. Maybe there needs to be some kind of social studies unit on LBGTQ culture. Explaing the hardships of being a part of that community, and teaching kids it ok to be gay. Is this really an issue in primary schools, I never remeber anything of the sort being an issue for people until high school. Maybe my childhood was a lot more sheltered then I like to think/
Also its my understanding that the Q in LBGTQ is for queer. I though queer was a derogatory term for a homosexual person similar to fagot. Seeing it used in the LBGTQ title makes me think the term queer is acceptable somehow. I feel like I am missing something here.