"Mr. Seal Beach" - Decent, Righteous and Noble

My comments at his Memorial:

Good afternoon everyone… thank ya’ll all for coming.

As Roger Glenn always said, “I am the # 4 son.

I stand before you to acknowledge that I have taken many things from my father over the years…. and after a person passes the family gathers and distributes the material things he accumulated in life. As I speak to you here today… know that I standing in your presence wearing his underwear -this is gonna provide a strong foundation for my future. Thanks Dad!

As we all know, my father was a man of strong convictions and I wanted to talk a little about his character.

My Dad lived his life as “Mr. Seal Beach” Righteous, Decent and Noble.

Theodore Roosevelt wrote, “If I must choose between peace and righteousness, I choose righteousness.” Dad was noted not to be calm…but I think he found his peace when his general sense of good was acknowledged.

Albert Einstein wrote: “True religion is real living; living with all one's soul, with all one's goodness and righteousness.” Although we are gathered here at the Unitarian Church I think his general sense of faith was guided by his goodness and fairness for everyone he encountered. His world , was the society around him and his faith was guided by his own unique personal religious fervor.

His passion was alarming to some… but to those that knew him well it was his deliverance of his sense of decency.

Rita Mae Brown wrote. “Morals are private. Decency is public.” I think his public persona was immensely decent. Decent to a fault! “Want of decency is want of sense…. To understand his life his and his desire to be supremely decent is what you must come to understand as the abiding passion of his life. He concluded in a letters to one of his dearest friends… Always your friend, whether you can stand me or not. Rog. I guess we all know what he meant when he meant it!

For me as a son, I knew he cared deeply about my efforts to follow his convictions for a decent path…. he was not quite as harsh about my mistakes. But I’d better get it right the next time!

Dad was a common man for the common person and in his his daily life he strived to be noble in every thing he did.

“Better not be at all…. than not be noble.” said Tennyson

As a man, Dad lived a truly a noble life.

Thank you everyone for your encouragement, comments and support. It means so much! Court went well, and it seems the tide is finally turning on the situation! As A CAFCASS report had not taken place, as had been ordered, the final court hearing is postponed to Thursday 6th June. Many positive things were said, and our son got to speak to the opposing barrister, so seems to be seeing things he didn't realize before, especially as Paige's mother is clearly now not acting with the decency they all thought!!! The most encouraging thing said was by HER side, that Paige knew the court case was that day, and she had told her mother that she wanted to go, to say how SHE really felt! The mother obviously thought this was to say how she didn't want to see her father, but we know different! Our son yesterday, for the first time, had the strength to speak up for himself and Paige, and was respected for doing so. Hopefully the mother will now give us a date to see Paige in the Easter holiday, as it will look very bad on her if she doesn't!! I will mail those personally who have been so kind as to mail me, but this is a general update here.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transvestite, Freedom, Self Expression, All, Inclusive, Acceptance, Acknowledge, Parade, Charlotte, Downtown, Girl, Backside, Young, Different, Rainbow, Colors, Walk, Cover, Decency, Legal, Normal, Diversity

Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Timo Soini and Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland welcoming the guests for the Session of the Committee of Ministers.

The Session of the Committee of Ministers, to be held at Finlandia Hall on 17 May 2019, will mark the end of Finland’s Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. At the meeting, Finland will hand over the Presidency to France. More than 30 ministers from the member States of the Council of Europe will attend the meeting. The meeting will be chaired by Foreign Minister Timo Soini.

Ministry for Foreign Affairs provides photo material for media representatives, participants and organisers of the meeting. Please feel free to use the photos, considering the following restrictions: Not for commercial purposes nor reselling. When publishing the pictures, the name of the photographer and organization shall be mentioned as the source. No picture manipulation is permitted. The holder of the picture rights and/or the organisation shall at all times retain the copyright to the picture. When publishing the pictures, the publisher shall ensure the legality of the context where the pictures are used, obtain the permissions and consents required for their publication, and observe the generally established practices and decency. The publisher shall ensure that publication of the pictures does not insult anyone’s privacy or dignity.

Photo: Kimmo Räisänen / Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland

Last time we took a walk on the wild side as we focused on the act of “being” and the importance of grounding oneself while looking inward for healing, prior to addressing the needs of our planet. Until the individual is of sound mind & body there is no way to truly help others or tackle the big issues, such as saving our home planet.

You’ve read and hopefully had time to implement some of the pro-active steps to self healing into your daily ore weekly regime. This brings us to the present moment: understanding the significance of “being”; implementing through actions, and ultimately “doing” what needs to be done. We have been led to believe that one person cannot make a difference and most feel overwhelmed or confused on how, what, where, when to begin the journey toward co-creating social change. We are here to share small adjustments that make a huge impact.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Mead

There are many ways to create change that appear small at first until you analyze our combined efforts and they begin in the home.

-Purchase products made with recycled materials

-Find a way to recycle everything versus sending to a landfill

-Start a garden

-Eat less / Drink Less / Need less (be conservative)

-Get involved in your local community

-Add a very good water filtration system in your home

-Get your fruits & veggies locally – Shop the Farmers Markets

-Read labels and make the switch to food that is actually good for you

-Carpool when ever you can

-Learn how to sew, knit, crotchet, cook, bake and canning

-Create a Survival Prepared Kit

“People who wait for changes to occur on the outside before they commit to making changes on the inside will never make any changes at all. Unknown Source”

To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must cultivate our personal life; and to cultivate our personal life, we must first set our hearts right.

Confucius (BC 551-BC 479) Chinese philosopher.

“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.” - Leonardo da Vinci

“If you don’t like the way the world is, you change it. You have an obligation to change it. You just do it one step at a time.” - Marian Wright Edelman

“Each person has inside a basic decency and goodness. If he listens to it and acts on it, he is giving a great deal of what it is the world needs most. It is not complicated but it takes courage. It takes courage for a person to listen to his own goodness and act on it.” - Pablo Casals

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The world is not dangerous because of those who do harm but because of those who look at it without doing anything” ~ Albert Einstein

"Belief without action is the ruin of the soul." -Edward Abbey

"I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin the shift from a "thing-oriented" society to a "person-oriented" society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered." -Martin Luther King, Jr., "When Silence Is Betrayal," 1967

"Every great change must expect opposition because it shakes the very foundation of privilege." -Lucretia Mott, Quaker abolitionist and women's rights activist

tags:

omtimesmagazine, streetteam, july2011, tobe, todo, doing, lovewithoutaction, justintent, namaSpirittn, humanityhealing, sacredspacestudio, deZengodesigns

Clive Davis Pre Grammy Party 2009

All images copyright © Matthew Field 2009

p.s. if you are going to ignore my copyright and post my images elsewhere on the internet at least have the decency to credit me and link them back to here, or i'll probably have to stop posting them here or at least start putting big watermarks on them.

Hubby for scale.

www.seanslastwish.org/

This package of Sunflower seeds was given to me at the LGBT Pride festival last year by the mother of Sean Kennedy. He was murdered in a hate crime against him because his sexual orientation. I spoke at length with this courageous woman, Elke Kennedy who spends most of her time now spreading her sons tragic story and educating people about hate crimes. www.seanslastwish.org/ She gives out the sunflower seed packets as a tangible symbol of hope for a future free of hate. It is my wish that she doesnt have to crusade for what I would consider "common decency" anymore.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transvestite, Freedom, Self Expression, All, Inclusive, Parade, Charlotte, Downtown, Girl, Backside, Young, Different, Rainbow, Colors,Skirt, Tutu, Walk, Legs, Topless, Cover, Decency, Legal, Normal,

Thursday 1 April to Saturday 5 June All day

FREE

A photographic exhibition of iconic imagery by Ged Murray of 1990’s Strangeway Riots.

Her Majesty’s Prison, Manchester, aka Strangeways, was built in 1868 to house and rehabilitate a maximum of 972 prisoners from the surrounding area, mainly those on remand or serving sentences of less than five years.

One hundred and twenty two years later Strangeways held 1660 men in appalling conditions as prisoners were held, three to a cell, for up to 23 hours a day with the cells measuring 12 foot by 8 foot (3.65 by 2.44 meters).

For some years up to 1990, prision policy had been, not to house and rehabilitate, but to control and contain as prisoners suffered the daily humiliation of “slopping out.” There were repeated claims of brutality and injustice and many of the prison officers were known to have extreme right-wing sympathies.

On April 1 1990, during the Sunday service, the prisoners first seized the chapel, and then throughout that day occupied over half the prison. So began a siege and rooftop protest ended on 25 April when the final five prisoners were removed from the rooftop, making it the longest prison riot in British penal history. One prisoner was killed during the riot, and 147 prison officers and 47 prisoners were injured. Much of the prison was damaged or destroyed with the cost of repairs coming to £55 million.

The riot also sparked a series of disturbances in prisons across England, Scotland and Wales.

The British government announced a public inquiry headed by Lord Woolf.

The resulting Woolf Report which only happened as a direct result of the Strangeways Riot, was hailed as the most radical appraisal of the prison system this Century, and was to become a blueprint for the restoration of "decency and Justice into jails where conditions had become intolerable".

Prints are available for purchase.

For more info please contact Fink On Theatre on 0161 226 0807.

America in the old-fashioned sense, when our word meant something, when our people had honor and integrity and conscience and empathy, when other countries respected us; and when we stood by allies. Also when our citizens had the common sense to take care of our planet so there would be an earth for future generations.

We should focus on climate change and environmental and species protection; on preserving what old-growth forests we have left; on safe, clean water, oceans, and waterlines; on a stable and protective stratosphere; on putting power lines underground in windy, fire prone-areas; on alternative energy sources instead of archaic ones, like coal; and on supplies and technology for classrooms to prepare students for work places of the future, higher education, and life in general.

Change should be made to banks and medical insurance companies and utility companies so their sole focus isn't on profit. Too many people have been harmed - even killed - by corporate greed - to say nothing of lost property.

Medical doctors and dentists and veterinarians should be affordable. Currently most of their mantras are: Profit not people; and: money not medicine. Making a living is one thing, forcing people into years of debt is quite another.

Housing and rent should be within financial reach of low and middle income people. Energy should be generated through modern, sustainable sources instead of coal. And buildings, roads, and bridges should be safe, and built to last. (Buildings and structures from 2,000 years ago are still standing even after wars, but ours are crumbling before construction is even completed.) And outside decks on buildings are falling down with people on them; bridges are collapsing; and roads are crumbling.

Far too many things in this society are now deliberately built to have a short life. And imported items contain harmful and toxic substances. Approved medicines contain lethal ingredients with lifelong adverse physical and medical effects. Just as bad, medicines and withdrawn items like Juul are sold overseas when pulled from American markets. And we are still surrounded by weapons of war - despite increasing violence and deaths due to military-type rifles and guns in this country. More and more violence is becoming a way of life, including among police.

Profit, profit, profit. Shortsightedness. Greed. No conscience, or integrity, honor or values - three foundations on which this country was built.

Common sense dictates It is much wiser to invest in the future of our citizens than to keep attacking them, and bad mouthing, dividing, diverting attention, and focusing on destroying anyone who disagrees. Going backwards on reproductive rights, and abolishing ecological and environmental advances and species and forest protections are strictly profit and control motivated. The lungs of the earth cannot be replaced. Right now ancient forests in Alaska are about to be decimated. They cannot be replaced.

This country has moved from the rights of the many to the untouchability and game playing of a sole individual who keeps changing his mind and blaming everything on misinterpretation of the media. He fires or forces out or verbally attacks anyone who doesn't agree with him. And he is destroying the honor and character of this country. But he somehow still controls many people who believe he is good for America. I disagree, and believe he is destroying the reputation and credibility of the United States.

But there are those who will always side with power and money. Many of those people focus only on themselves, and on forging some kind of kindship with immediacy, money, and the illusion of power and control. However, this country was built on the basic concept of decency, ethics, honor, helping others, and "Government of the people, for the people, and by the people." That isn't the current reality.

"The image of a Syrian child's lifeless body washed up on the shores of a Turkish beach this week brought the world to its knees. His name was Aylan Kurdi, and he was just three years old.

We need to do better."

light the dark, adelaide, south australia

#lighthedark

Nothing beats the American Dream

...except logic, wisdom, rationality, decency, humanity, and the common good.

Autoretrato de una chica con tendencia malsana por Depeche Mode.

I would tell you about the things

They put me through

The pain Ive been subjected to

But the lord himself would blush

The countless feasts laid at my feet

Forbidden fruits for me to eat

But I think your pulse would start to rush

Now Im not looking for absolution

Forgiveness for the things I do

But before you come to any conclusions

Try walking in my shoes

Try walking in my shoes

Youll stumble in my footsteps

Keep the same appointments I kept

If you try walking in my shoes

If you try walking in my shoes

Morality would frown upon

Decency look down upon

The scapegoat fates made of me

But I promise you, my judge and jurors

My intentions couldnt have been purer

My case is easy to see

Im not looking for a clearer conscience

Peace of mind after what Ive been through

And before we talk of repentance

Try walking in my shoes

Try walking in my shoes

Youll stumble in my footsteps

Keep the same appointments I kept

If you try walking in my shoes

If you try walking in my shoes

Try walking in my shoes

Now Im not looking for absolution

Forgiveness for the things I do

But before you come to any conclusions

Try walking in my shoes

Try walking in my shoes

Youll stumble in my footsteps

Keep the same appointments I kept

If you try walking in my shoes

Now Im not looking for absolution

Forgiveness for the things I do

But before you come to any conclusions

Try walking in my shoes

Try walking in my shoes

Youll stumble in my footsteps

Keep the same appointments I kept

If you try walking in my shoes

Try walking in my shoes

If you try walking in my shoes

Try walking in my shoes

The signature Frango mint chocolates. For as much as I wish Macy's hadn't changed the name of all the department stores it bought, the corporate suits did have the decency to retain some of the important local flavor in the flagship locations they took over.

p.s. if you are gonna post my copyrighted images elsewhere on the internet at least have the decency to credit me with them or link them back to here, or i'll probably stop posting them or at least start putting big watermarks on them.

Eurasian Green-winged Teal

Anas Crecca crecca/nimia

Eurasian Green-winged Teal, with a horizontal light stripe, and without a vertical stripe on its side. I found it on the Columbia River down from Priest Rapids Dam. For county listers, it ventured between Yakima, Grant, and Benton Counties.

Here's my post to Tweeters, a birding listserv for Washington:

[edit notes: I think that Wanapum Village should have been written Wanapum village; and Simon Martinez Cattle should be Simon Martinez Livestock.]

Eurasian Green-winged Teal

Friday I found what looks to me like a Eurasian Green-winged Teal, the first I've ever seen. It was pretty exciting, but I couldn't share the find immediately, because I found it near a place where two prominent local bird listers have told me they trespass. I tried Friday, and over the holiday weekend, but this morning was finally able to reach the Grant County PUD head of security to alert him that birders with scopes and binoculars and such might be around, and that some might try to stop and bird on the dam. He was very polite and helpful. He made it clear that doing so continues to be prohibited. It is National Critical Infrastructure. Across the dam on the Yakima County side is the Wanapum village, Simon Martinez Livestock Company private land, and Yakima Training Center military site. Visiting without express prior permission continues to be prohibited. Security at Priest Rapids Dam, and the security camera monitor crew have been alerted.

There are plenty of good reasons to not trespass including simple decency, avoiding scaring or angering residents and property owners, avoiding hindering heavy construction and endangering the workers, respecting Yakama Nation sovereignty, and being able to "count" the birds you "get" if you're a lister. From ABA Listing Central -- Code of Birding Ethics listing.aba.org/ethics/ : "Do not enter private property without the owner’s explicit permission. Follow all laws, rules, and regulations governing use of roads and public areas, both at home and abroad."

Another good reason is bird watcher access -- for the rest of us. I was working on getting birders access permission to viewing from the dam embankment a couple of years ago. I stupidly told a local prominent lister that birders are not allowed to stop on the dam and are not allowed to go into the Wanapum village without consent of local residents, and that similarly the Simon Martinez Livestock Company land is private and requires permission from the landowner. Despite reiterating that to him and getting him to acknowledge it, he proceeded to bird on the dam and got kicked off -- politely. The person at Grant PUD with whom I was working on birder access ended the discussion. I'm not a birding expert, but I don't think that listing a Common Tern flitting back and forth across the Yakima / Grant County line, or any other sighting, was worth that. Birding ethics are not defined by what you can get away with.

I once again am working on getting birders access to a viewing location on the dam. It's a dream of mine that I'd value greater than any rare bird find. Please, please, do not muck that up.

If you witness any trespassing or security concerns near Priest Rapids Dam or Wanapum Dam, they ask you call (509) 766-2538 any day at any hour. In the ABA Code of Birding Ethics: "If you witness unethical birding behavior, assess the situation and intervene if you think it prudent. When interceding, inform the person(s) of the inappropriate action and attempt, within reason, to have it stopped. If the behavior continues, document it and notify appropriate individuals or organizations."

My wife Mary Giovanini, Nori dog, and I returned Saturday and relocated the Eurasian Green-winged Teal. This time there were pintails and Mallards, but no American GWTE with it as there'd been on Friday. It was tucked close to shore on the Yakima/Benton side of the Columbia River below Priest Rapids Dam dam. I saw it from the Jackson Creek Fish Camp, at the junction of Grant, Yakima, and Benton Counties, clearly venturing well into each. For listers, if you look across from the day use area, at mid-river you're looking into Benton County. Looking across and upstream a bit to the rocks jutting into the river, Yakima County is to the right, and Benton County is to the left. The Yakima/Benton county line goes from shore there, north upstream at an angle to mid river, where it meets Grant county. The Yakima/Grant line continues mid-river up to the dam. The Priest Rapids Dam spillways are in Yakima. The generators are in Grant. Google Earth shows county lines quite well.

I apologize for not being able to share the find sooner. I hope you can understand and respect my concerns.

I wish I could share this post on BirdYak, a Yakima County bird-related list-serve, but am blocked by Denny Granstrand. Just the same, I'll keep up my efforts to discourage unethical birding. Please don't share a censored or edited version of this on BirdYak.

Red-breasted Mergansers, both Goldeneyes, Buffleheads, and plenty of others were there to see too." [end Tweeters post]

Good birding -- Enjoying observing birds, and trying to give eBird and Washington Birder accurate data.

Please always consider the sensitivity of birds, nearby humans, and the environment.

Don't pish or use playback on rare or sensitive birds or in heavily birded areas.

Please Follow this Code and Distribute and Teach it to Others ABA Code of Birding Ethics.

Whistle blower

ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S41979870

Yours to cut out and keep. 'Turquoise Decency Strip' also available on demand.

Parks Highway just south of Cantwell, Alaska.

Alaska has some divisions called "boroughs" which function similarly to counties in the lower 48. The rest of Alaska is divided into "census areas" which are just that, areas to count population.

The "matanuska" name is an Indian adaptation of a Russian word used to describe both the Indians of and the route to the Copper River. "Susitna" comes from the Indian word for "sandy river" and originally had an "h" in the spelling, which has been dropped for common decency.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transvestite, Freedom, Self Expression, All, Inclusive, Acceptance, Acknowledge, Parade, Charlotte, Downtown, Girl, Backside, Young, Different, Rainbow, Colors, Cover, Decency, Legal, Normal, Diversity

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transvestite, Freedom, Self Expression, All, Inclusive, Parade, Charlotte, Downtown, Girl, Backside, Young, Different, Rainbow, Colors,Tank, Top, Cover, Decency, Legal, Normal, Diversity

...sucks, even for us penguins. You know how it is, you're out there on your rock, with your best bro, being a good wingman. Everything is going good, until he meets Olivia. Yeah Olivia, you saw her from across the tundra on the other side of the ice and thought "oh she looks fine! I think i'll try to get her attention." Low and behold, before you can make eye contact, she comes waddling over and strikes up some chatter with your bro.

Being the inconsiderate manwhore he is, by the end of the night they are beak to beak and asking YOU for a ride back to his place. Now you have to be the one that goes home with the butt ugly sea lion, only to find out, all she wants is to chomp you up for a midnight snack. Luckily you manage to slide off the rock and swim away to safety while she is freshening up.

The next day he even had the decency to let you know how they made out, "and then some", all night long. Then they shared a dish of crushed rock crab with mackerel glaze for desert....

Rock crab with mackerel glaze, my favorite.... God I hate that guy.

Follow me on Twitter: @EDG_Photo

www.seanslastwish.org/

This package of Sunflower seeds was given to me at the LGBT Pride festival last year by the mother of Sean Kennedy. He was murdered in a hate crime against him because his sexual orientation. I spoke at length with this courageous woman, Elke Kennedy who spends most of her time now spreading her sons tragic story and educating people about hate crimes. She gives out the sunflower seed packets as a tangible symbol of hope for a future free of hate. It is my wish that she doesnt have to crusade for what I would consider "common decency" anymore.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transvestite, Freedom, Self Expression, All, Inclusive,, Parade, Charlotte, Downtown, Girl, Backside, Young, Different, Rainbow, Colors, Walk, Legs, Cover, Decency, Legal, Normal, Diversity

30 Rock. Season 1, 2007

Jack Donaghy: Those jokes you wrote for my Mitt Romney fundraiser, they were top-notch.

Liz Lemon: Those weren't jokes! That was an appeal for a return to common sense and decency.

Jack Donaghy: Well, they got big laughs.

Queens Of The Stone Age Palm Desert Benefit show

p.s. if you are gonna post my copyrighted images elsewhere on the internet at least have the decency to credit me with them or link them back to here, or i'll probably stop posting them or at least start putting big watermarks on them.

Queens Of The Stone Age @ Lupos, Providence, RI

p.s. if you are gonna post my copyrighted images elsewhere on the internet at least have the decency to credit me with them or link them back to here, or i'll probably stop posting them or at least start putting big watermarks on them.

Ken Barnard has been chosen as one of six finalists in the Funniest Person in Chicago Contest sponsored by Time Out Chicago magazine.

Lincoln Lodge Chuckle Bowl NYE party 2007

I think I can be described as quite a good personality I am well-balanced, communicative, cheerful, kind. I appreciate decency in people, single-mindedness, strong will, honesty, openness. And of course I am trying to develop these qualities in myself too. I am very vulnerable. I rest with my soul at the seaside and in mountains. Ideal match description: I appreciate in men decency, honesty, single-mindedness, strong will. He should be able to care about other people, be strong. I like when the man is tall. My languages skills: Russian: I am advanced in every skillEnglish: I can read and write with a dictionary but can't speak

She's thinking I should have the decency to put her together before I start taking pictures.

The senator divulged to the assemblage, “I come here to ask you for your help.” He characterized his campaign: “Make no mistake about it: decency is at the heart of this campaign. Poverty is indecent. The death and maiming of brave young men in the jungles and swamps of Southeast Asia is also indecent.”

Photograph by Dick Schmidt.

Center for Sacramento History, Sacramento Bee Collection, Dick Schmidt 03/23/1968

Permission to use must be obtained from the Center for Sacramento History.

3 August, 2012

BSA National Council

1325 Walnut Hill Lane

PO Box 152079

Irving TX, 75015-2079

Dear BSA National Council:

I am renouncing my rank of Eagle Scout and returning the insignia of this rank in protest of the Boy Scouts of America’s continued discrimination against gay scouts and leaders. As an atheist scout, and as someone with the basic human decency to recognize the rights and humanity of people regardless of sexual orientation, I have been struggling with my relationship with the Boy Scouts long before I attained the rank of Eagle Scout. I am proud of the work I did to earn my Eagle, and I do not part with it without much grief. Though I have considered this for several years, I have only now had the courage to renounce my rank due to your recent press release re-affirming your discrimination against gay scouts and leaders.

My experiences in the Boy Scouts made me the man I am today, and I owe many of the fondest memories of my childhood and adolescence to the Boy Scouts. Working on the staff of my council’s summer camp, Horseshoe Scout Reservation, meant working alongside many closeted gay scouts and leaders who did not merely participate, but were often the backbone of their troops, the camp staff, and of the entire camp. These brave men and boys, who worked hard for the camp they loved despite a constant fear of being discovered and castigated, deserve more from the organization they serve.

I want to close by reminding you that, as GLBT rights and even atheism continue to gain acceptance in America, your discriminatory policies will only be as effective as the will of the volunteer scouts and leaders – who make up 99% of the BSA – to execute them. I attained the rank of Eagle Scout despite being an atheist because the volunteer leaders who oversaw my Eagle committee simply did not care for the BSA’s policies in that regard. I know the same has been the case for gay scouts who have attained the rank of Eagle. In the future, as in the present, the parents of Boy Scouts who serve as adult leaders will not tolerate discrimination against their children and others’ children. They know that the advantages the Boy Scouts provide to youth are far too great to deny to a child simply because of their sexuality. They will begin to blatantly disregard your discriminatory policies. Many already are.

Sincerely,

Schuyler Swartout

Former Eagle Scout, Class of 2007

Former Senior Patrol Leader, Troop 43, West Chester, PA

2003-2005 Staff, Horseshoe Scout Reservation, Rising Sun, MD

Brotherhood Member, Order of the Arrow, Octoraro Lodge 22

Taken at PSG III - Mature Public Sandbox - No weapons. Decency Required!, Hyboria (151, 58, 4006)

"The image of a Syrian child's lifeless body washed up on the shores of a Turkish beach this week brought the world to its knees. His name was Aylan Kurdi, and he was just three years old.

We need to do better."

light the dark, adelaide, south australia

#lighthedark

"The image of a Syrian child's lifeless body washed up on the shores of a Turkish beach this week brought the world to its knees. His name was Aylan Kurdi, and he was just three years old.

We need to do better."

light the dark, adelaide, south australia

#lightthedark

Vector Arena, Auckland, NZ

p.s. if you are gonna post my copyrighted images elsewhere on the internet at least have the decency to credit me with them or link them back to here, or i'll probably stop posting them or at least start putting big watermarks on them.

Clint, one of the museum's historians explains the significance of these two artifacts from the time of the Holocaust.

Here, the spoon, fashioned out of metal was probably a very risky (life threatening) thing for a concentration camp prisoner to make given that they were all given only soup to eat and no utensils (demeaning). This was hand made from material found likely helped provide the user some form of human dignity (and decency) after it had all been taken away.

Canadian Museum for Human Rights

85 Israel Asper Way

Winnipeg, MB

museumforhumanrights.ca/

(204) 289-2000

"The image of a Syrian child's lifeless body washed up on the shores of a Turkish beach this week brought the world to its knees. His name was Aylan Kurdi, and he was just three years old.

We need to do better."

light the dark, adelaide, south australia

#lightthedark

Downstairs bar. There is also a large, mirror-infested pokie room, which decency prevents me from showing.

Exposing war crimes is an act of decency. Free Bradley Manning. Photo taken at a San Francisco rally supporting Bradley Manning during his article 32 pretrial hearing.

Read more at www.bradleymanning.org

I found this brilliant "flier" lying on the pavement outside my work this morning. It has obviously been pinned up somewhere.

It's been making me chuckle every time I see it.

For reasons of decency, I've removed the phone number and email address.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transvestite, Freedom, Self Expression, All, Inclusive, Acceptance, Acknowledge, Parade, Charlotte, Downtown, Girl, Backside, Young, Different, Rainbow, Colors, Walk, Cover, Decency, Legal, Normal, Diversity

Board games for kids got notoriously bad, starting some time in the early 2000s. Forget Monopoly and MouseTrap, at some point the game-makers realized that kids are more interested in scatological humor than learning about the real-estate business or the logistics of a Rube Goldberg-like device. Sure, appealing to the lowest common denominator might sell some games, but at what cost? Common decency, that's what.

And I've never seen any person, real or fictional, so happy to be hit with a face full of toilet water.

Sikhism originated in the 15th century, in the Punjab region by Guru Nanak, who preached ideas that were radical for his age: he denounced Hinduism's oppressive caste system and Islam's gender discrimination, preaching that all people can commune with the divine equally, without the intervention of rituals or priests. The Sikh faith is a monotheistic religion, meaning Sikhs worship one God. The three core pillars of Sikhism are: vaṇḍ chakkō (sharing with others, helping those in need, as well as participating as part of a community), kirat karō (earning/making a living honestly, without exploitation or fraud, and speaking the truth at all times) and naam japna (meditating on God’s name to live a life of decency and humility).

The temporary distractions of the material world are seen as an illusion. The qualities of ego, anger, greed, attachment and lust are known as the Five Thieves that rob a person of their ability to realize their oneness with God and creation. Sikhs work to counteract the temptations of these qualities through the values of service, equality, and seeking justice for all. Sikhs also believe that one’s form on Earth is only a temporary vessel for the eternal soul. Thus, the death of the physical body is a natural part of the life cycle, while the soul remains. Death is not an end, but merely the progression of the soul on its journey toward God.

Nine more gurus succeeded Guru Nanak (Angad, Amar Das, Ram Das, Arjan, Har Gobind, Har Rai, Har Krishan, Tegh Bahadur, and Gobind Singh), and continued to spread his teachings across the world.

The last guru, Guru Gobind Singh, named the Sikh sacred text, the Guru Granth Sahib, to be the eternal Guru that would guide the Sikhs going forward. It consists of 1,430 Anks, or pages, and 6,000 Sabads, or line compositions, all are written in poetic verse and are aligning to the rhythmic forms of ancient north Indian classical music. At the core of the Guru Granth Sahib is a yearning for a world governed by divine justice, without oppression of any kind.

The final living guru, Gobind Singh, also established the Khalsa, or order of Sikh soldier-saints. They are recognizable by "The 5 k's," their physical articles of faith: Kesh (unshorn hair and beard), Kirpan (ceremonial sword), Kangha (comb), Kara (steel bracelet) and Kachha (drawers). The Dastar, or turban, is considered a spiritual crown, a token of remembrance of the Sikh principles.

Subathu, Himachal Pradesh, India

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Troy Van Leeuwen, Queens Of The Stone Age (ring by Vivienne Westwood)

p.s. if you are gonna post my copyrighted images elsewhere on the internet at least have the decency to credit me with them or link them back to here, or i'll probably stop posting them or at least start putting big watermarks on them.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transvestite, Freedom, Self Expression, All, Inclusive, Acceptance, Acknowledge, Parade, Charlotte, Downtown, Girl, Backside, Young, Different, Rainbow, Colors, Cover, Decency, Legal, Normal, Diversity, Banner, Sin, God.

A typical American toilette booth at the Cincinnati International Airport, taken in April 2008. There is a half incs gap between the door and the wall, and a lot of space under and above the walls around - control is apparently more important than privacy...

Egy jellegzetesen amerikai vécéfülke a Cincinnati repülőterén, 2008. áprilisában. Az ajtó és a fal között egy centis rés van, amin be lehet látni, felette és alatta pedig még sokkal nagyobb. A szeméremnél itt fontosabb a kontroll...