Monthly Archives: August 2017

Indias Supreme Court has given the countrys gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans community the freedom to safely express their sexual orientation. In a historic decision on Thursday, the nine-judge panel declared that an individuals sexual orientation is protected under the countrys Right to Privacylaw.

Sexual orientation is an essential attribute of privacy, the decision reads. Discrimination against an individual on the basis of sexual orientation is deeply offensive to the dignity and self-worth of the individual. Equality demands that the sexual orientation of each individual in society must be protected on an even platform.

Although the Supreme Court did not directly overturn any laws criminalizing same-sex relationships, the language of the court decision offers hope to the LGBTQ community. The judges expressly state sexual orientation falls under an individuals right to privacy, a constitutional right, and that no individual should be discriminated against based on their orientation.

Going forward, this can establish a precedent as organizations challenge discriminatory laws in court, and offer protection against discrimination in places such as the workforce.

This could even deliver a death blow to an oppressive and controversial law in the Indian Penal Code. Section 377 is a law that limits a citizens right to express their gender identity or sexual orientation in consensual relationships. In 2013, another panel of the Supreme Court upheld Section 377.

Indias traditional culture can make it difficult for people who are LGBTQ to be open about their orientation, but some are still challenging the countrys norms.Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil came out in 2006, making him the countrys first openly gay prince. Since then, he has been fighting for the Indian LGBTQ community.

Prince Manvendra started a grassroots campaign in 2014 called Free Gay India to campaign for LGBTQ rights. He has put a spotlight on the oppression as a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show and was recently on an episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

I knew that my coming out would definitely make a difference, the prince told the Kardashian family. When people found out about me, they set up a bonfire and burned my effigies in it.

There is still a pending court challenge to Section 377, but the language of Thursdays decision will make it hard to uphold again. The full text of the Supreme Courts decision can be read here.

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India Declares Freedom Of Sexual Orientation A Fundamental Right - HuffPost

San Francisco has some dog defenders.

While he was walking his dogs, a 45-year-old artist had an inspired idea about how to counter-protest a scheduled Freedom Rally organized by a right-wing group that calls itself Patriot Prayer.Tuffy Tuffington has enlisted the help of his two Patterdale terriers and a lot of other good dogs in San Francisco to lay a field of poop on the site where Patriot Prayer has obtained a permit to gather Saturday, according to The Guardian.

I just had this image of alt-right people stomping around in the poop, Tuffington told The Guardian.It seemed like a little bit of civil disobedience where we didnt have to engage with them face to face.

Tuffington created a Facebook event to invite dog owners to join him in his efforts, and people were more than happy to sign up. The plan is to bring out the pups ahead of time and plant some poop bombs across the rally site, Crissy Field in The Presidio.

Some pointed out that leaving dog poop is against park rules and can result in fines. But the counter-protesters plan to clean up their crap after the event.

I got 4 dogs!!! one person posted. Would love for these racists to literally eat shit!

A white supremacist rally that turned deadly in Charlottesville, Virginia, earlier this month has highlighted the level of violence that can occur when counter-protesters engage face-to-face with hate groups. Patriot Prayer,based in Oregon, has a history ofattracting the same extremist viewsto their rallies that were displayed in Charlottesville. Numerous public figures, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), have denounced thegroup as a white supremacist organization.

Were talking about the first amendment here, Patriot Prayer organizer Joey Gibson said in a Facebook Live video. Were talking about the constitution and all theyre trying to do is...its like a big circus.

The Southern Poverty Law Center does not list Patriot Prayer as a hate group but has noted that some of itsevents have included white nationalist organizations.

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Very Good Dogs Plan Minefield Of Poop To Deter 'Freedom Rally' - HuffPost

Courtesy J. Reuben Clark Law Society Sacramento chapter

Elder Quentin L. Cook and his wife, Sister Mary Cook, with Judge Nicholson during J. Reuben Clark Law Society event in Sacramento, California, on Aug. 12, 2017.

SACRAMENTO, Calif.

Speaking to 390 members of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society, community leaders and guests in Sacramento, California, on Aug. 12, Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles addressed faith, family and religious freedom.

Elder Cook asked the Latter-day Saint lawyers to place faith at the center of their lives, never underestimate their capabilities or influence, and defend religious freedom.

Faith and knowledge require equal commitment, he explained. For almost all of us increasing faith is a lifelong quest.

Elder Cook, before being called as an apostle, spent his career in the San Francisco Bay Area as a business lawyer, managing partner of a law firm, and president and CEO of California Health Care System. Following its merger with Sutter Health System (which is headquartered in Sacramento), he was vice chairman of Sutter.

During his address, Elder Cook complimented the law society members for their community influence and outreach.

He asked the group to set serious goals to balance their busy professional lives with their faith.

If we want to have faith and if we want to have balance in our lives, then we have to figure out how to spend more time in doing those things that will build faith. If we want to have successful families, then we have to spend more time with our families. We have to have that kind of balance.

When individuals move away from patterns that include scripture study, prayer and religious observance in the home, faith weakens, Elder Cook said.

Quoting Elder J. Reuben Clark, who served in the First Presidency, in his April 1960 general conference address, Elder Cook called faith an intelligent force. It is superior to and overrules all other forces of which we know, he said.

Elder Cook then spoke of meeting a consultant some years ago. He had a busy career and was serving as a regional representative for the Church. The consultant explained that most people when categorizing their responsibilities compare their personal efforts to A-plus performers in each category.

Law and the process of becoming a lawyer are very competitive, Elder Cook said. The respect for credentials can reach an inappropriate level where they are virtually idols. In addition, client expectations regardless of the legal specialty often exceed any realistic outcome.

Elder Cook said in the hot house environment of the law there is always somebody who seems to be better in all the categories required to be a lawyer. Notwithstanding these issues, I would ask, Do we have to be an A in everything to be happy? Do we have to be so hard on ourselves? The scriptures of course address happiness, but not in terms of material or academic success or skill or professional achievements.

Latter-day Saint doctrine is set forth in Mosiah 2:41: King Benjamin taught, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God.

Finally, Elder Cook spoke about religious freedom and the practical participation of people of faith in our system of government.

Latter-day Saints can help protect religious freedom as they:

1. Become involved. Get involved in your local school, your community and your local government. When issues of religious liberty arise in a locality, there is no one who is better positioned to provide assistance than those who are already engaged and respected in the community.

2. Be a watchman. If you see issues developing in your community that could impact religious liberty for the Church or its members, share that with your J. Reuben Clark Law Society leadership. They can in turn communicate it up the line to national leadership and to Church contacts as necessary.

3. Be an example of the believers. The very best way we have to counter bigoted and hateful actions toward the Church and its members is if members of a community are acquainted with a member of the Church and think highly of him or her. It is amazing how quickly negative actions evaporate as community members interact with a member of the Church whom they respect. Thus, often the very best thing is to reach out, be friendly, always be civil and provide a positive example to those who live around us.

Elder Cook praised the Sacramento J. Reuben Clark Law Society chapter for their efforts to build bridges with other lawyer organizations and becoming more involved in the community.

Chapter members have worked with the Court-Clergy Lawyers Auxiliary, which is comprised of leaders from the Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, and Mormon faith based lawyer organizations. In addition they are working with local civic and pro-bono organizations to provide Church materials and resources to the immigrant and rural populations in Sacramento, said Paul Hoybjerg, the Sacramento JRCLS chapter chair and co-founder of the Court-Clergy Lawyers Auxiliary.

We intend to work with other groups, in accordance with our beliefs, to help build Sacramento upon principles of fairness and virtue, said Hoybjerg. It is our belief that if we can have religious and individual freedoms respected, protected and preserved then each faiths ability to practice and worship peacefully will exist for many generations to come.

The LDS Church News is an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The publication's content supports the doctrines, principles and practices of the Church.

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Elder Cook addresses 'faith, family, religious freedom' - Deseret News

Despite racing out to an early lead, the Florence Freedom, presented by Titan Mechanical Solutions, dropped the finale and the series to the River City Rascals with an 11-5 loss on Thursday at UC Health Stadium.

Back-to-back singles by Collins Cuthrell and Jordan Brower started the second inning for the Freedom (55-33), asOzzy Braff bunted both runners into scoring position before Austin Wobrock plated the games first run with a run-scoring grounder to short. Garrett Vail followed with a base hit to left center that allowed Brower to cross as Florence jumped in front, 2-0.

River City (47-41) cut the deficit in half in the third, however, as a hit-by-pitch of Brandon Thomas set up a stolen base and an errant throw from Vail, allowing Thomas to reach third. Johnny Morales came through with an RBI-groundout next, pulling the Rascals to within one run. A four-run top of the fourth however, gave River City a lead they would not relinquish. The rally started when Josh Silver was hit by a pitch, and Paul Kronenfeld and Braxton Martinez followed with singles, the latter of which tied the score at 2-2 and chased starter Jordan Kraus (9-5) from the game. Enrique Zamora entered in relief and surrendered a first-pitch, go-ahead three-run homer to Clint Freeman.

Two more Rascals insurance runs would score in the top of the fifth. Mike Jurgella singled to start the frame and Jason Merjano reached on an error by Daniel Fraga. Cuthrell fielded the ball in right field and came up firing to third, but his throw bounced into the stands, allowing Jurgella to score and Merjano to reach third. Kronenfeld then took advantage of the errors, lacing an RBI-single to right to extend the Rascals lead to 7-2.

After four consecutive scoreless innings on offense, Florence would scratch a run across in the seventh. After Braff flew out to left to start the inning, Wobrock singled and Vail laced a double to the left-center gap, scoring Wobrock from first on Vails second hit and second RBI of the game.

Dan Ludwig (6-3) went seven-plus innings as River Citys starter, striking out five and allowing five runs, the final two of which came against reliever Nick Kennedy, who had inherited the runners when entering the game in the eighth.

The Rascals pushed three more runs across in the top of the eighth, and in the bottom half, Florence responded with two. Andrew Godbold led off with a single before Andre Mercurio lined a double down the right field line. Kronenfeld could not field the ball cleanly in the corner, allowing Godbold to score and Mercurio to dive in safely at third. Cuthrell then cut the deficit in half by plating Mercurio with a groundout to second.

A Freeman RBI-single off Pete Perez in the ninth inning gave River City its final run and Freemans fourth RBI of the game, and the Freedom failed to score in the bottom half, dropping the series finale to hand the Rascals the series win.

The Freedoms magic number to clinch a postseason berth still stands at one, with the magic number to clinch the West Division at two, with Thursdays Evansville loss to Normal.

The Freedom next host the Gateway Grizzlies for a three-game weekend series, with first pitch of Fridays series opener scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at UC Health Stadium. Gateway will send Dalton Shalberg (0-1) to the mound opposite Steve Hagen (3-1) on Fireworks Friday in Florence.

The Florence Freedom are members of the independent Frontier League and play all home games at UC Health Stadium located at 7950 Freedom Way in Florence, KY.The Freedom can be found online at FlorenceFreedom.com, or by phone at 859-594-4487.

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Freedom drop finale to Rascals, return home for weekend series that could be division clincher - User-generated content (press release) (registration)

The first-place Florence Freedom, presented by Titan Mechanical Solutions, play at home throughout this weekend as they close out the homestand with a three-game series against the Gateway Grizzlies. Promotions planned for the homestand include the following:

FRIDAY, AUGUST 25 SUPERHERO NIGHT AND FIREWORKS (GAME TIME 7:05 PM)

Marvel superhero characters will be on the concourse for photos and interactions with fans. Freedom players will wear special Spider-Man jerseys and arm sleeves during the game, and the evening will also feature superhero fun on the field between innings.

After the game, fans can enjoy a superhero-themed fireworks show, detonated by Elite Pyrotechnics and presented by Arlinghaus Heating and Air Conditioning.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 26 FALL BEER FEST AND FOX FALL FAN FEST (6:05 PM)

Thirty different breweries will be represented on the concourse, and fans can enjoy five-ounce pours for $2.50 each, or five pours for $10.

Also, to kick off the new lineup of TV shows on FOX this season, the Freedom and FOX 19 will offer the opportunity for fans to win a variety of prizes, including tickets and a tour of the FOX 19 studios. Visit florencefreedom.com/fox-fall-fan-fest for more information on the prizes that will be offered.

After the game, the Freedoms Kerry Toyota Rockin Saturday series continues with a concert by local band Swan, presented by Hudy Delight. During the concert, kids 12 and under can participate in a game of kickball on the field, supervised by Freedom interns.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 27 NIGHT OF WORSHIP WITH JORDAN FELIZ (2:05 PM)

The Freedom will welcome national Christian recording artist Jordan Feliz, who will headline the 2017 Night of Worship at UC Health Stadium, presented by Star 93.3 and Budget Blinds of Northern Kentucky. The night will center around a baseball game, worship, charity, community and fellowship.

For more information on the Night of Worship, visit florencefreedom.com/freedom-night-of-worship.

The Florence Freedom are members of the independent Frontier League and play all home games at UC Health Stadium located at 7950 Freedom Way in Florence, KY.The Freedom can be found online at FlorenceFreedom.com, or by phone at 859-594-4487.

Florence Freedom

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Freedom at home for big weekend series filled with promos and chance to clinch division title - User-generated content (press release) (registration)

By Jon Lesage

Valero Energy Corp. (NYSE:VLO), Americas largest oil refiner, has been conducting a behind-the-scenes campaign to rid refiners of the costly biofuel blends mandate by the U.S. government. Billionaire Carl Icahn, who also heads oil refiner CVR Energy (NYSE:CVI), has been a big part of these efforts.

Valero has been coordinating lobbying efforts to get the Trump administration to revise the Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS) governing gasoline and diesel. The refiners and its allies are asking Trump to transfer the point of obligation for blending biofuels, such as 10 percent corn ethanol into gasoline, away from refineries and over to gasoline retailers and shippers such as FedEx (NYSE:FDX). That comes from an investigative report from Reuters involving interviews with two former Valero executives who spoke to the media outlet.

The point of obligation requirement has been costing refiners a great deal under rules enforced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The federal rules, which go back to a bill signed in 2005 by then president George W. Bush, forced Valero to spend about $750 million last year buying RFS credits.

Icahn has been working with Valero since last August, with a letter submitted to the EPA asking for a policy change. The letter to the EPA said the rules create a rigged market unfair to oil refiners.

Icahn had taken a special advisor role to Trump soon after the election. He resigned from this position on Friday after taking a lot of criticism about having a conflict of interest.

"I never sought any special benefit for any company with which I have been involved, and have only expressed views that I believed would benefit the refining industry as a whole," he wrote in a letter to Trump on Friday.

It had a never been a problem for the president, according to the White House.

Reuters also reported that the Trump administration is considering making the point of obligation changes. The president has not yet made a formal decision on it.

Valero had sold off its own ethanol blending operations through cash-raising deals in 2006 and 2013. That put the company in a tough position and led to the $750 million spend last year on credits to meet compliance rules.

Ethanol producers and their lobbying groups have been arch enemies of oil companies and refiners in recent years. Biofuel blenders, corn famers, and producers of advanced biofuels blended with motor fuels had been lobbying hard to keep the gasoline and diesel mandates in place.

They also wanted to see gasoline go up to 15 percent ethanol blend. It did get the greenlight from the EPA, but so far has failed to find acceptance at gas stations. It also stoked more battles with the oil industry, with automakers concerned about the corrosive engine effects of using E15 in gasoline.

One of these biofuel trade groups, Renewable Fuels Association, has been supporting Valeros efforts lately, according the Reuters article. The group recently dropped its long-time opposition to RFS policy changes. The ad hoc coalitions efforts to move the burden down the supply chain is more palatable for the trade association.

Valero, Icahn, and other refiners, would like to see others play a more visible role in lobbying for the biofuel blend rule change. That coalition may include a gas station owners trade group and a former Obama administration environmental advisor. They would very much like to restore their cash flow lost to paying for RFS credits.

Valero is working hard to bring in others as the public face lobbying to revamp RFS, former company executives told Reuters.

Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.

I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it. I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

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Refining King Icahn Seeks Freedom From Pricey Biofuels - Seeking Alpha