Via George Takei / FB:

Ellen Vs Hallmark

Viva Illinois!

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma

Tricycle Daily Dharma November 21, 2013

Perfect Awakening

Being self-aware in the midst of our daily lives provides us with so much material with which to notice the reality of our imperfect selves but, at the same time, to be brought to realize how we are embraced by Ultimate Wisdom and Compassion at all times. There’s no practice a person can specifically do to attain perfect awakening, whether it’s meditation or trying to follow precepts. Of course these are good practices, but we can never totally free ourselves of our blind passions. If we believe we can do it this way, the calculation is a reflection of our ego-selves. Instead, we can be mindful of the dharma as we go about our lives.

- Reverend Patricia Kanaya Usuki, "The Great Compassion"

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through November 22, 2013
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Vi JMG: New Site: The Regnerus Fallout

Via press release:

The University of Central Florida (UCF) has ramped up its legal efforts to block the release of over 50,000 documents related to the flawed same-sex parenting study by Mark Regnerus that appeared last year in the publication Social Science Research, housed at UCF. A judge ruled the university had to release the documents, deemed public records under Florida law. Late last week, UCF retained legal counsel and ignored the court order. The Law Office of Andrea Flynn Mogensen, P.A., and Barrett, Chapman & Ruta, P.A – which represents John Becker, the reporter who initially sought the documents under Florida public records law - immediately filed an emergency motion for civil contempt. "What is UCF hiding?" asked Becker. "And why are they fighting tooth and nail - spending taxpayer dollars in the process - to keep these public records under seal?"
Judge Donald Grincewicz ruled on November 13 that emails and documents possessed by UCF related to the Regnerus study’s peer-review process must be turned over to Becker. UCF houses the journal Social Science Research, and the editor of the journal, UCF Professor James Wright, led the peer-review process for the research. Grincewicz has since inexplicably recused himself. And yesterday, an appellate court in Orlando granted a stay in the case until such time as a new judge can be appointed. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation funded the litigation and today launched “The Regnerus Fallout” web site (www.regnerusfallout.org) detailing the flaws, funding, and real purpose of the so-called study.

Visit Regernus Fallout.

Labels: crackpots, gay families, gay parenting, hate groups, HRC, Mark Regnerus, marriage equality, religion

Reposted from Joe Jervis

VIa JMG: ILLINOIS: Gov To Sign Marriage Bill Today

 

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn will sign the marriage equality bill today and according to one report he will sign the bill on Abraham Lincoln's desk, which Quinn is quietly having shipped from the state capital to his office in Chicago. Oh-em-Jeebus, the Tea Things will scream. I'll post a live stream of the signing ceremony later today.

Labels: Illinois, LGBT History, marriage equality, Pat Quinn

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma

Tricycle Daily Dharma November 20, 2013

Great Responsibility

You see, the past is past, and the future is yet to come. That means the future is in your hands—the future entirely depends on the present. That realization gives you a great responsibility.

- H.H. the Dalai Lama, "The Experience of Change"

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through November 21, 2013
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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma

Tricycle Daily Dharma November 19, 2013

A Complete Practice

When people talk about practicing the buddhadharma, I think they sometimes fail to realize that the buddhadharma is a comprehensive religious system. It doesn’t just mean sitting on your meditation cushion and focusing on your breath. Buddhism is a practice for your whole life.

- Charles Prebish, "Pursuing an American Buddhism"

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through November 20, 2013
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Via JMG: Op-Ed Of The Day - Patricia Madrid

"Some will recall that as attorney general, I stopped the Rio Rancho county clerk from issuing marriage licenses. But that had nothing to do with the constitutionality of same-sex marriage and everything to do with individual county clerks acting on their own without the law behind them. I applaud the clerks for asking for a swift resolution by the state Supreme Court of the current checkerboard, where some counties grant marriage licenses and others do not. While I’m hopeful the state Supreme Court will grant marriage equality in New Mexico, I believe that is where the issue should be decided. The Legislature should resist any temptation to continue to make marriage a divisive issue.

"New Mexico has always been a land of freedom, of live and let live, and we all try to apply the Golden Rule — to treat others as we want to be treated ourselves. To me, that speaks directly to the freedom to marry. Marriage has been the cornerstone of my life, and I hope that soon in New Mexico, our gay and lesbian friends, neighbors and family members can have that same mix of celebration and security." - Former New Mexico Attorney General Patricia Madrid, writing for the Albuquerque Journal. (Tipped by JMG reader George)

Labels: LGBT rights, marriage equality, New Mexico

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Openly Gay Teen Scientist Honored by Vatican as Positive Role Model

CROWNSVILLE, Md. — An openly gay teen scientist has been honored by the Vatican for his work to develop a cost-effective method to detect pancreatic cancer.

Jack Andraka, speaking at the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference earlier this year.

Jack Andraka, a high school junior from Crownsville, Md., was awarded the International Giuseppe Sciacca Award for his work Saturday. The Vatican awards the prize to recognize youth who are positive role models and outstanding in their fields.

Andraka was hoping to meet Pope Francis while he is in Rome.

He told WBAL Radio he felt is was amazing to be recognized by the Vatican even though he is gay. He says it shows how much the world has grown to accept gay people.

Andraka developed the cancer test when he was 15 after the death of a family friend from pancreatic cancer.
He is talking with two biotech firms to manufacture the test.

Read more about Jack in LGBTQ Nation’s profile of the teen scientist →

and

http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2013/11/openly-gay-teen-scientist-honored-by-vatican-as-positive-role-model/