Being a parent is a blessing and anyone who wants to be a parent needs to be allowed to be one. It’s harsh to be deprived of that blessing because of your personal choices in your love life.

Until recently gay couples in Mississippi were facing such problems. Luckily for them that changed when a U.S. District federal judge, Daniel Jordan, issued an injunction which says that Mississippi’s ban is unconstitutional.

With that decision, gay adoption became legal in all 50 states. Since then gay couples have the right to become parents. 

Mississippi was the last country which was enforcing the anti-gay adoption law for 16 years.

Judge Jordan said that he made his decision based on the ruling of the Supreme Court. It was confusing to him how the Supreme Court allowed same-sex marriages, because otherwise it would deny benefit, but didn’t allow them to adopt children.

This law was challenged in 2015, when the Family Equality Council, the Campaign for Southern Equality, and four Mississippi gay couples filed a complaint against it.

Roberta Kaplan, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs, said that some of the clients waited almost 9 and 16 years to become legal parents to the children they have raised since they were born.

She also added that gay couples shouldn’t be deprived of the right to be parents just because they are gay. Discrimination against gay-couples adoption now violates the Constitution in all 50 countries.

Judge Jordan’s ruling was also praised by the Human Rights Campaign’s Mississippi state director Rob Hill.

He welcomed the decision which allowed qualified gay couples in Mississippi the right to adopt children or become foster parents. Same-sex couples will be treated equally by the law, and so many children who need loving homes will now have the chance to have one.

“Adoption by couples of the same gender is prohibited” was the law which was adopted in 2000. Florida, Michigan, Alabama and Nebraska had similar laws, but they were all overturned.

Even former Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, who signed the law, was one of the supporters for overturning it.

He said that the decision they all signed together, has made it difficult for many children who didn’t have parents and home to be raised by loving parents in happy homes in Mississippi. That broke his heart, he also added.

Source:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

Denmark is a kingdom country in Europe, the smallest of the Nordic countries. Here are some fun facts about Denmark: it rains and snows every other day; it is an archipelago comprised of more than 100 islands and it is the oldest monarchy in the world.

Oh, and one more thing… it is one of the happiest countries in the world. 

How did Denmark deserve this awesome “title” so many times and why?

Helen Russell, a journalist from Great Britain, living in Denmark, wrote a wonderfully picturesque piece for Stylist magazine, portraying her personal experience of life in Denmark. 

She lived in London with her husband and were trying to start a family. Even though they had planned to set permanent roots there, her husband was offered a job in Denmark.

Not sure what to expect, they did a bit of research and were overwhelmed with what they discovered:

For one, in Denmark, if you decide to have a baby, the country will grant you 52 weeks of parental leave, with full pay!!

And once the little one is ready for child care and the parents want to get back to work, don’t fret, because children have a guaranteed place in a state run day care which is 75% subsidized by the country.

And that’s not all. The minimum wage in Denmark is around 20 dollars per hour and workers’ rights are a top priority.

Since the winters in Denmark are long and cold, Danes spend most of their time indoors and particularly value their homes and their coziness. They even have a special word for relaxing and comfort in one’s home – it’s called “hygge”.

Even though it might seem like outdoor activities are limited, Danes certainly love their bikes and their capital Copenhagen is unrivalled in the world as a cycling city.

In Denmark, trust comes first, people trust each other, they trust their government, their employers, the schools their children attend. People truly believe they are safe and they are – it is a well-known fact that crime and corruption in Denmark are very low.

Danes have a 37-hour work week and they usually get five weeks off for their annual holiday.

Despite the fact that the taxes are pretty high, Danes are only too happy to pay them because they have social security, a universal pension and a universal healthcare system.

Sounds like they live in a totally different universe than ours, doesn’t it? No wonder they are one of the happiest people in the world.

Ms. Russell had the opportunity to experience life in Denmark first hand and she and her husband decided to stay there permanently. Who wouldn’t, right? She even claims that she is a much happier person since she moved there.

Here is what we can learn from the Danish people in order to lead a more relaxed and a much happier life:

1. Trust

If you show people that you trust them, they will trust you back. You will be much happier, more relaxed, less stressed and that positive energy will spread like wild fire. Trust your neighbors, your friends, your boss and get ready to be pleasantly surprised by the changes you will experience in your life.

2. Try to Get “hygge” Whenever You Can

Relax, enjoy the simple things in life – having a cup of tea on the porch, at the window, smelling the fresh laundry, eating a piece of cake. You know what they say, “you must look after number one”.

3. Don’t Overwork Yourself – Try to Leave Work on Time.

Once that clock strikes 5, grab your coat and get home to your family or go out with friends for a drink.

4. Take a Cue from the Danes and Start Being More Active

Go running, visit the nearest lake and go for a swim… use your bike to get to work, if that’s possible, play basketball or whichever sport you like once a week, and so on… it has been proven by science that exercise releases the “happy” hormones and reduces stress levels. 

5. Turn Your Home into a Beautiful Sanctuary

Everyone deserves a home adorned with trinkets and chunks of life that make them happy. Danes seem to thinks so and their homes are particular beautiful.  Their keen eye for art and design can be seen in their everyday surroundings, and it is another reason why Danes are one of the happiest people in the world.

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What was known to be a peaceful and national protest “A Day without Immigrant” has turned out to be “A Day without A Job”. In Nashville, Tennessee, the company Bradly Coatings seemed to make a massive statement after firing 18 people who didn’t show up for work because they wanted to be a part of the nation-wide protest “A day without immigrant”.

The purpose of the protest itself, was to emphasize the contribution that immigrants made to this country, however the company seems to have a completely different point of view regarding this topic.

People who have participated in this peaceful protest, lost their jobs the very next day.

Despite the fact that many companies and businesses were supporting this protest or at least gave the green light to employees who wanted to join the protest, Bradly Coatings, Incorporated in Nolensville, Tennessee had a different policy towards this protest.

Their 18 employees announced their absence on Wednesday, due to the upcoming protest, supporting the contribution of immigrants worldwide, however instead of an understanding, they came across a day without a job.

Normally, this decision caused dissatisfaction and a shock at all those people, but also the situation provoked massive comments and amazement in the public.

Employees state that this decision is firstly not fair for the people who gave their best for this company and secondly, it’s unfair for the short notice or one day notice, in other words they didn’t have an opportunity to justify themselves, and neither did they have other choice except accepting the fact that they are terminated.

When the decision was made, some employees decided to quit their job in this company right after hearing about what has happened to their colleagues.

A former employee who wanted to stay anonymous stated that the whole situation and the handling of the problem was unfair.

In the massage for the company, the anonymous employee emphasized that all the people who’ve been fired didn’t deserve such treatment.

He also added that all the employees tended to make up for the day, or working on a Sunday, however the company didn’t want to listen and they did not even give the opportunity to the employees. Their only option was to fire people, right after the movement.

After this happened, a spokesman from the Department of Labor and Workforce Development stated that even though Tennessee is a state where an employer has the right to terminate people whenever he/she wants or for whichever reason or cause that is, there are other civil rights issues or other stipulations which can put an end to this.

There are a lot of speculations about why this company decided to act in this manner, however their attorney said that the termination of people had nothing to do with the national protest.

In his statement, the attorney elaborated the nature of the company or commercial painting services and the dynamics at which the company is functioning.

He also emphasizes that the company supports immigrants as well as diversity since the beginning, however he also states that the company warned their employees that if they choose to join the protest, they put their job position in jeopardy.

So, despite being warned about the time-sensitive nature of their jobs, the people still chose to join the protest and the following day the leadership informed them that they’ve been fired.

So, the company’s attorney states that all of those who have fulfilled their job obligations kept their job position, sadly the unfortunate 18 employees were terminated the very next day.

The attorney also emphasizes that the company didn’t have a choice in this situation because the company matters to maintain its stability and most importantly to keep the dynamics at which the client expect for the job to be finished.

As the attorney stated, the company will continue to support immigrants, but also will provide services on time to his clients as well as review some procedures in order to prevent such issues in the future.

Sources:
http://www.abc2news.com/
http://edition.cnn.com/

A recent study by Mark & Roberts shows that women wearing a dress are much happier and in better mood that women wearing pants. However it is also unclear if it’s the dress that affects the mood or the mood inspiring women to wear a dress.

Decade of behavioral research also shows that people who spent less time thinking about style and clothing are less confident and feel less attractive that the ones who do.

This doesn’t indicates that shopaholics and fashion victims are the happiest people on earth but at least they realize their power to affect and charm the people around them.

Truth is that life is about people and social interactions. The more we are liked, desired, loved, respected and complimented the better we feel and the more we enjoy life.

Looking better both physically and esthetically affects our mood and self-confidence and these two characteristics only can be enough to make huge differences in our life.

When people fail to obtain external beauty they often focus on career and financial success; believing that’s the right alternative for obtaining more attention, appreciation and respect.

Even though this approach have shown to be a successful one for obtaining a respectful social presence it’s the very wrong one because all your new relationships will be driven by interest.

The one thing that we can all learn from this post is that wearing better clothing, looking better and spending a little extra time on improving our style is the right thing to do.

I know that we all hate emptying our credit cards in shopping malls but look at this as an investment in creating a better version of you, or even better; in discovering the real you.

Summer is knocking at our doors already, there is not better season than spring to reinvent yourself. Go and buy yourself a nice maxi dress from here to look astonishing and let us know if the dress case study mentioned above is true or false.

Core Scott Feldman, known for his appearances in children movies during the 80s, was accused of pedophilic abuse on child actors.

According to him, the children movie industry is a very gloomy and scary place – the complete opposite of what it looks like on the outside. Being abused himself, Feldman stated that pedophilia is one of the biggest issues in Hollywood.

Feldman’s words were not taken seriously because of his troubled past, and his constant quest for attention now that his career is almost entirely dead. 

However, when the dearly loved Hollywood actor, Elijah Wood, supported him, that changed the whole turn of the events.

Wood also started his acting career as a child during the 80s and was able to see what happens behind the scenes during the filming of children movies.

So, when Wood recently during an interview for Sunday Times said that the Hollywood children movie’s industry is a dark and abusive place, was shocking to many.

He also said that there is a very organized “underground world” that has repetitive patterns of child actors being sexually abused. He remained safe, however, and said that he thanks his parents for this because they were very protective of him. His mother never let him attend those Hollywood parties where those abuses were taking place. But not all children were that lucky.

According to Elijah, the biggest problem is that the kids are too confused to understand what is happening to them, and once they become aware – they are afraid to say anything.

They are constantly threatened and usually, the truth comes out too late. The results of this abuse are devastating: teenagers with destroyed lives and serious psychological problems.

What is more terrifying is the fact that the people involved in the crimes are some of the most powerful people in Hollywood.

In many cases, if a child decides to speak up about his/her tragedy, there is a whole system that won’t allow the story to come out in public and cause any damage to the reputation of the abuser.

The fact that there are only a few companies that produce Hollywood movies and own all related media is what makes it difficult for any information like this to be revealed publicly. When few people are in charge, it is easy to hide incriminating information in order to save the big “picture” of Hollywood’s movie industry.

Innocent children and their parents come to Hollywood to show their talent and succeed. They are not aware that they become a part of a pattern that is very difficult to break.

One would say, what about the police? Well, surprisingly, Wood accuses them that not only they are not doing anything, but they are part of it. In fact, the police make sexual abuse easy to reoccur because they collaborate with the abusers and hide their acts.

Yet another Hollywood teen idol, Corey Haim, who was molested when he was 14, supported the claims of his colleagues. He and Feldman filmed a reality show about their experiences called “The two Cories”. In the reality show, Haim accuses Feldman of not doing anything to protect him although he knew that Haim was molested.

The list of Hollywood actors with similar statements does not end up here. A while ago, the public had a chance to hear the terrifying story of Jessa Dilon Crisp – a sex trafficking survivor.

She was sexually abused by members of her family and later sold to different abusers and repeatedly raped. As a teenager, she was forced to take pornographic pictures. There was no one to protect her as the police were involved in the process too.

Furthermore, there is the story of Esther Maker, who revealed that as a child she was raped by prominent figures and politicians in front of the police. And she was not the only child involved in the scandal.

Finally, there are many people with similar testimonials. There are hundreds of powerful people who find their victims and destroy their lives. It is about time that something is done.

Have you noticed how people started using the expression “All Lives Matter” only after the phrase “Black Lives Matter” was coined?

It is almost as if it was ‘designed’ as an automatic response to the “Black Lives Matter” statement, which suggests that the uttering of these words makes us feel a bit uncomfortable. But why?

Some white folks may argue that the phrase is a bit racist, implying that white lives do not matter as much. That is clearly not the case.

Let us put it this way. If you attended a colon cancer conference, you wouldn’t think for a moment that they were discarding other types of cancer as irrelevant or not as important, would you?

According to a recent article by John Halstead, published on the Huffington Post,  if someone turned up with a banner saying “Lung Cancer Matters” or on a T-shirt saying “All Cancer Victims Matter?” it would certainly appear that there is something else that compels people to say “All Lives Matter” in response to the “Black Lives Matter” statement.

Mr. Halstead writes that that people saying “All Lives Matter” also tend to use the expression “Blue Lives Matter”.

For those of you who find the expression “Black Lives Matter” to be offensive but have no problem with “Blue Lives Matter”, it is clear that there is something about the word “Black” that makes you feel uncomfortable. This is clearly indicative of something.

The Issue of Colorblindness

According to Mr. Halstead, the reason why the word “Black” bother us is the fact that by using it, we acknowledge the fact that we do see color and we are actually not “colorblind” as most of us would like to think.

Mr. Halstead claims that colorblindness simply doesn’t exist. Moreover, it can also be said that ignoring race is a white man’s privilege. In other words, white people are “blessed” with not having to pay attention to race because society is largely run by whites and for whites.

It is clear that the phrase “All Lives Matter” serves the purpose of shifting the focus from the systematic racism out there leveled at black people. It is only a substitute phrase for “White Lives Matter” as when white people say “all lives” they largely think “all white lives”.

Mr. Halstead says that we need to start saying “Black Lives Matter” much more than we do because it is clear that our society doesn’t think so. It is a well established fact that more than two-thirds of all people shot by law enforcement agencies in America are black, and that the country’s judiciary system sentences black people more severely than whites who committed the exact same crime.

And by throwing around phrases like “All Lives Matter” and failing to respond appropriately to unjustified killings of black people we certainly act as if we truly believe that black lives do not matter as much.

And yet we keep saying “All Lives Matter”, not wanting to get out of our comfort zone. “Black Lives Matter” makes us feel uncomfortable, Mr. Halstead claims, because it reminds us that racial segregation is very much alive in America.

While open racism is no longer culturally acceptable for most white folks, modern-day racism has “evolved” and has now taken a more subtle, covert form instead.

A modern-day racist is not a member of the infamous KKK and does not use the N-word, but he unwittingly supports the “institutionalized racism” nevertheless. Failing to see and to respond to racism can be considered as a form of passive participation, as can the use of the statement “All lives matter”.

Embracing the Discomfort

Recognizing the problem is part of the solution, according to Mr. Halstead, and white people should drop the notion that we are colorblind.

How many of us are prepared to admit to giving ourselves a pat on the back for treating a black man the same as we would treat a white man in any given situation? It only goes to show that we are indeed not colorblind.

Racism comes in all kinds of subtle ways, and if you fancy yourself as a non-racist, try and spend some time to interact with black people.

Even if you feel comfortable in the company of a black man or a woman, chances are you will feel pretty uncomfortable in a room full of black people. You would probably start feeling unwelcome. Well, that’s how black people feel most of the time.

Feeling guilty about white privilege will not do much good. Using that privilege against racial abuse and talking to white people about institutional racism will.

According to Mr. Halstead, we must overcome the issue of saying the world “Black” and challenge our unconscious bias by start saying “Black Lives Matter”.

Side With the Second Civil Rights Movement

Mr. Halstead writes that as much as we (white people) like to think that we would have chosen Martin Luther King Junior’s side during the Civil Rights era, the fact remains that the vast majority of white people were opposed to the Civil Rights movement when it was happening.

There is no denying the facts. We are living the second Civil Rights Movement and it seems to have a similar, albeit more subtle effect on white people.

Decades from now, we will reflect on the Second Civil Rights Movement and see if we sided with the right or the wrong side of history. Choosing the former means embracing discomfort, it means saying “Black  Lives Matter ”.

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