VIa JMG: FLORIDA: Dozens Of Major Corporations File Brief In Support Of Marriage Plaintiffs

 

Dozens of major corporations have filed an amicus brief with the Eleventh Circuit Court in support of Florida's same-sex marriage plaintiffs. Among the signees: Amazon, AT&T, Bloomberg, CBS, Delta, Deutsche Bank, eBay, Electronic Arts, General Electric, Levi Strauss, Marriott, Oracle, Pfizer, Staples, Symantec, Target, and Viacom. From the brief:

We are located and/or do business in Florida, Georgia, or Alabama, all of which prohibit marriages between couples of the same sex and refuse to recognize existing same-sex marriages. State laws and constitutions denying marriage to gay and lesbian citizens are bad for our businesses. Amici are forced to bear unnecessary costs, complexity, and risk in managing our companies, and we are hampered in our efforts to recruit and retain the most talented workforce possible—all of which places us at a competitive disadvantage. Our success depends upon the welfare and morale of all employees, without distinction. The burden—imposed by state law—of having to administer complicated schemes designed to account for differential treatment of similarly situated employees interferes with our business and creates unnecessary confusion, tension, and ultimately, diminished employee morale. We write to advise the Court of the impact on employers of the disparate treatment mandated by states that refuse to permit or recognize marriages between same-sex couples.

RELATED: Among numerous other groups filing amicus briefs are the NAACP, PFLAG, and a coalition of 16 Florida counties and cities. Many more briefs can be viewed at Equality Case Files.

Labels: business, Eleventh Circuit Court, Florida, marriage equality

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via : The Compassionate Replacement of Painful Thoughts

By nlampert, November 14, 2014

First, become more carefully aware of the content and rhythm of the voices inside. What are their regular, unhealthy remarks and devastating comments? What do they sound like? What do they feel like? Begin to study how much pain they cause you. Feel how they take you over and how they hurt. When do they come out most strongly, day or night? What situations provoke them? Social occasions, family time, partners, competitive situations, work or leisure? Do they criticize your body, your mind, your actions, your whole being?

Notice the particular phrases and destructive, unhealthy perspective, the judgment, the shame, the self-denigration they engender.

Now, create a true antidote, a phrase or two or three, that completely transforms the falsehood of these unhealthy thoughts. Let the phrases be the healthiest words you can find, even if you don’t believe them at first. They can be as simple as “Life is precious” or “I will use this day well.” Or they can express the healthy opposite of thoughts of shame: “I will live with nobility and dignity .” Or the opposite of anxiety: “I will live my life with trust.” If helpful, they can be based on the phrases from loving-kindness practice:
 
May I love myself just as I am.
May I sense my worthiness and well-being.
May I trust this world.
May I hold myself in compassion.
May I meet the suffering and ignorance of others with compassion.

Now begin to work for a week with the phrases you have chosen. Particularly pay attention to those situation that trigger painful patterns. Every time you notice the destructive, unhealthy thoughts, even if they have been playing for a while, pause and feel the pain in them. Take a breath; hold your pain with kindness. The inwardly recite your phrases, firmly, deliberately. Do this over and over. It does not matter if they sound false, if you don’t quite believe them. 

Say them anyway, out of compassion, as an antidote to your suffering. You may need to say them a thousand times before you realize they are working. And they will.

This excerpt is taken from the book, “The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology”

Make the jump here to read the original post

Via Freedom to Marry / FB:

 

 

What a wonderful year for the freedom to marry! We DOUBLED the number of states where same-sex couples can marry, and it's because of supporters like you. Share this stunning recap, and help to keep it going - every donation will be matched! http://www.freedomtomarry.org/match-14

An interesting Juxatpostion

Bom dia on a terribly hot morning here in Amparo, where we are spending the holiday with Milton's family. Here in Brasil we are in the midst of a national discussion about and related to corruption. As is my custom on Sundays I listen to the BBC, and this morning they revisited this discussion about the Business of Kindness.

See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02f8lg2

As well this quote from Sri Prem Baba ran across my feed:

“If karma determines that you are to live in a large urban center, you will need to pay close attention to your lifestyle and your habits in order to avoid being swallowed up by the dense energy around you. If there is one element that steals your presence and your consciousness the fastest, that would surely be food. Still, just watching what you eat is clearly not enough. Some people are able to maintain healthy and restricted eating habits, ones which are free from cruelty, but they still have other habits that connect them with harmful tendencies. It is crucial for us to become aware of the habits that open these doors.”

and another from the the Daily Dharma:

Real independence is the result of reflection and disciplined, honorable behavior.

- Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano, "The Phone Rings"

It seems that what we buy, how and where we buy it , maybe even when we buy it  influences to a large part  the quality of life around us and the political system we are immersed in.  When we buy form the little guy, we support communities by seeing much of the tax benefit going back into the community. When we buy from megacorporations that invest off shore where ever your shore may be) and look only at the bottom line and are not concerned with the environment, we are part of the problem.

Interesting how this mindfulness movement is getting little to no play here in Brasil unless you have access to English speaking media.

Our mindful dollar, our real is a real vote for kindness and community. Or as my Grandmother was so fond of saying, "you are what you eat".

Flor do Dia - Flor del Día - Flower of the Day - 28/12/2014

“Se o karma determina que você viva em um grande centro urbano, para não ser tragado pela densidade energética que o rodeia, você precisa estar muito atento a suas condutas e hábitos. Se pudesse eleger um dos elementos que mais rapidamente rouba a sua presença e sua consciência, sem dúvida seria a alimentação, mas claro que somente observar a alimentação não é o suficiente. Algumas pessoas conseguem manter uma alimentação bem restrita e adequada, isenta de crueldade, mas mantém outros hábitos que conectam com a maldade. Então, é importante você tomar consciência dos hábitos que abrem essas portas.”
Acesse o satsang completo: http://www.sriprembaba.org/pt-br/satsang/170914

“Si el karma determina que vivas en un gran centro urbano, para no ser tragado por la densidad energética que te rodea, es necesario que estés muy atento a tus conductas y hábitos. Si pudiese elegir uno de los elementos que más rápidamente roba tu presencia y tu conciencia, sin duda sería la alimentación, pero claro que solamente observar la alimentación no es suficiente. Algunas personas consiguen mantener una alimentación bien restringida y adecuada, libre de crueldad, pero mantienen otros hábitos que conectan con la maldad. Entonces es importante que seas consciente de los hábitos que abren estas puertas.”

“If karma determines that you are to live in a large urban center, you will need to pay close attention to your lifestyle and your habits in order to avoid being swallowed up by the dense energy around you. If there is one element that steals your presence and your consciousness the fastest, that would surely be food. Still, just watching what you eat is clearly not enough. Some people are able to maintain healthy and restricted eating habits, ones which are free from cruelty, but they still have other habits that connect them with harmful tendencies. It is crucial for us to become aware of the habits that open these doors.”

- Sri Prem Baba

Via Daily Dharma

---

Real Independence | December 28, 2014

---

Real independence is the result of reflection and disciplined, honorable behavior.

- Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano, "The Phone Rings"

Via FB: