Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 19, 2013

Training the Mind

Training involves not just one single method but many methods. It's like building a huge airplane. It takes so many pieces that all have to fit together to make it work. In the same way the transformation of our minds—or setting the right kind of mental attitude—takes time.

- His Holiness the Dalai Lama, "Ethics for a Secular Millennium"

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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 18, 2013

Loneliness

Suffering is what happens when we are lonely and forget that we participate in the world. People often complain about love, or at least about its consequences, but welcoming the consequences is part of the game of generosity. The earth gives a Yes without regard to what is given back, and being a human is also a gift, not a purchase. Even the No’s we get are gates to the generosity of the world.

- John Tarrant, “The Erotic Life of Emptiness”

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Via LA Times: Rulings on gay rights alter couple's retirement needs

Money Makeover

Rulings on gay rights alter couple's retirement needs

Gay couple need to change separate trusts set up before same-sex marriage became legal, advisor says, though answers to other questions remain unclear. 

After 14 years together, Mark Frey and Doug Vogel are finally finding out what it means to be a married couple preparing for retirement.

The Rancho Palos Verdes residents were elated when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down part of the Defense of Marriage Act in June. But the couple, who married in 2008, worried that the ruling raised questions about everything they had done to protect their family's financial future.

make the jump here to read the full article

 

Via JMG: MOSCOW: Swedish High Jumper Told To Paint Over Her Rainbow Fingernails

 

On Thursday, Swedish high jumper Emma Green Tregaro competed at the World Track & Field finals in Moscow with her fingernails painted in rainbow hues in support of the LGBT community. Her gesture sparked international headlines after she was denounced by the Russian pole vaulting world champion, who later backtracked.  Now comes this:

Swedish officials told the 28-year-old her rainbow gesture, which brought international attention as a protest against Russia's new law against gay "propaganda," could be a violation of the competition's code of conduct. She said the Swedish track and field federation asked her to "please respect the rules" and change the colour of her nails. "So I decided to paint them red instead, for love," she said. Green Tregaro said she was surprised the strong reaction to her subtle criticism of Russian law. "It was harder to not paint them in the rainbow than it was to choose to paint them," she said.

Swedish officials say they were warned by the event's governing body before they spoke to Tregaro.

Labels: LGBT rights, Russia, sports, straight allies

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: RUSSIA: Finnish Official Waves Rainbow Flag At World Track & Field Championships

 

 

Finnish Minister of Culture & Sports Paavo Arhinmäki waved a rainbow flag this afternoon during the World Track & Field Championships in Moscow.  The above-linked article is in Finnish. I'll update this post with an English report if it appears that action will be taken by the Russian government.
RELATED:  Arhinmäki ran for president of Finland in 2012 and finished sixth with 5% of the vote.  Here's how a Finnish website recapped his candidacy before the election.

Arhinmäki, 34, is the youngest and the most radical of the candidates. Before entering politics, he was active in a radical group which organised Crash the Party demonstrations in front of the Presidential Palace, packed with VIPs celebrating Independence Day. He has been fined for trespassing in a nuclear power site and when the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) was held in Helsinki he was arrested during the Smash ASEM demonstration. Arhinmäki is Minister for Culture and Sports in the present six-pack government, a six-party coalition, and he chairs the Left Alliance. A sports fan, he caused a minor scandal in autumn 2011 by attending a basketball game instead of the Helsinki Music Centre opening gala. Arhinmäki boasts of being the most anti-NATO candidate of the race and argues the rest of the candidates are in fact pro-NATO. He is known for good oratory and for being a vegetarian. He describes himself as “a green-red democratic socialist”, but not a communist.

Labels: activism, Finland, Russia, sports

Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 17, 2013

Spiritual but not Religious?

The way ‘spirituality’ is often used suggests that we exist solely as a collection of individuals, not as members of a religious community, and that religious life is merely a private journey. It is the religious expression of the ideology of free-market economics and of the radical 'disencumbered' individualism that idolizes the choice-making individual as the prime reality in the world.

- Robert Bellah, “Future of Religion”

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Via JMG: Coca-Cola And McDonald's: The Olympic Games Should Remain In Russia

 

 

In statements obtained by Pink News and Buzzfeed, Coca-Cola and McDonald's expressed support for the LGBT community, but both corporations agree that the Olympic Games should remain in Russia.
From Coca-Cola:

We have long been a strong supporter of the LGBT community and have advocated for inclusion and diversity through both our policies and practices. We do not condone human rights abuses, intolerance, or discrimination of any kind anywhere in the world. As a sponsor since 1928, we believe the Olympic Games are a force for good that unite people through a common interest in sports, and we have seen firsthand the positive impact and long-lasting legacy they leave on every community that has been a host.

From McDonald's:

There’s no room for discrimination under the Golden Arches. McDonald’s welcomes 69 million customers around the world every day representing different races, nationalities, religions, genders, ages and sexual orientations. McDonald’s supports the spirit of the Olympic Games and its ability to unite the world in a positive and inspirational way. We’ve been a proud sponsor of the Games for 37 years. Regarding the recent Russian legislation, we support the International Olympic Committee’s belief that sport is a human right and the Olympic Games should be open to all, free of discrimination, and that applies to spectators, officials, media and athletes.

Labels: Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Russia, Sochi Olympics

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: SAN ANTONIO: Openly Gay Disabled Iraq Vet Eric Alva Booed By Christian Protesters At LGBT Rights Forum

 

Openly gay USMC veteran Eric Alva was the first American soldier injured in the Iraq War and anti-gay Christian protesters actually booed him when he spoke yesterday in support of San Antonio's proposed LGBT rights ordinance. Via the Dallas Voice:

At a prayer vigil outside City Hall before the meeting, about 300 people protested the proposed addition to San Antonio’s nondiscrimination law that would add protections for sexual orientation, gender identity and veteran status. “Let them vote ‘no’ to this ordinance, and ‘yes’ to the reign of the kingdom of God,” Pastor Charles Flowers said at the rally. About 200 people signed up to speak at the City Council meeting for and against the ordinance. Alva, a Marine staff sergeant who became the first U.S. soldier injured in Iraq when he stepped on a landmine, was booed by the crowd when he spoke in favor of the ordinance. Alva lives in San Antonio.

Image via Dallas Voice.

Labels: Christianists, Eric Alva, gay soldiers, Iraq war, LGBT rights, religion, San Antonio, Texas

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: CLAIM: Apparel Chain Forever 21 Cuts Staffing Hours To Evade Obamacare

Jezebel has some details:

According to the letter, an unnumbered but significant amount of employees will no longer receive paid time off, will not be allowed to work more than 29.5 hours a week and will no longer have health insurance. The company has been inundated with numerous comments on their Facebook page from angry customers who say they will never shop at Forever 21 again and who are blaming the change on aforementioned ACA requirements. The ACA has already kicked a number of companies, retail or otherwise, into overdrive with concerns about the cost of paying employees.

The California-based chain has 480 outlets. Its owners, Do Won Chang and his wife Jin Sook, are multi-billionaire born again Christians who "reportedly attend church at 5:20 a.m. on weekdays, keep bibles in the office, and print John 3:16 on the bottom of each bag." (But no health care for their employees because Jesus, presumably.) Forbes reports that Forever 21 has been sued more than 50 times by other apparel chains for copyright infringement.

Labels: Christian Love, fashion, Obamacare, retail

Reposted from Joe