Saturday, August 13, 2016

Via JMG: Obama Names Gay US Army Secretary Eric Fanning To Rio Olympics Closing Ceremony Delegation


EricFanning3
August 12, 2016 LGBT News, Sports

Via White House press release:
President Barack Obama today announced the designation of a Presidential Delegation to attend the Closing Ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Federative Republic of Brazil. The Closing Ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Federative Republic of Brazil will be held on August 21, 2016.
The delegation will attend athletic events, meet with U.S. athletes, and attend the Closing Ceremony. The Honorable Gina McCarthy, Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, will lead the delegation.

Members of the Presidential Delegation
The Honorable Liliana Ayalde, U.S. Ambassador to the Federative Republic of Brazil, Department of State
The Honorable Eric Fanning, Secretary of the Army, Department of Defense
Ms. Bess Evans, Senior Associate Director and Senior Policy Advisor, White House Office of Public Engagement and Domestic Policy Council
Ms. Lauren Kelly, Deputy Director and Deputy Social Secretary, Office of the First Lady
Mr. Jason Collins, Retired NBA Player and Member of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition
Ms. Jackie Joyner-Kersee, three-time Olympic gold medalist, one-time Olympic silver medalist, two-time Olympic bronze medalist, women’s heptathlon and long-jump, and Founder of the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation
You’ll note that openly gay former NBA player Jason Collins is also a member of the delegation. Billie Jean King was named a delegation member for the 2014 Olympics, which were held in the far less gay-friendly Sochi, Russia. King’s selection was considered a message to Putin about LGBT rights.

Make the jump here to read the original and more on JMG

Via Purple Clover / FB:


Via Daily Dharma / August 13, 2016: Cultivating Openness

When we open our hearts and our minds completely, we are in a place where we can experience something new, a new truth, a new reality, a miracle that we haven’t experienced in the past.

—Anam Thubten, "How a Tomato Opened My Mind"

Via Daily Dharma / August 11, 2016: Heedfulness as a Virtue

The Buddha identified the basis for all our good and skillful qualities as heedfulness—not innate goodness or compassion: heedfulness.

—Thanissaro Bhikkhu, "What Is True Safety?"