YES, Wonkette, HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA IS STILL A FEMINIST

Someone call Wonkette! (They'd gotten rather apoplectic over this misunderstanding.)

In an earlier post, I noted that there'd been an uproar over comments by His Holiness, The Dalai Lama, which had - it now appears to be - been quite clearly taken out of context.

His Holiness has a very self-deprecating sense of humour.  And, while not being outright critical, his comments often - if examined - reveal his perspective/views on society/culture.

He'd commented that it would be perfectly acceptable if the next Dalai Lama was a woman, but that she should have an attractive face, otherwise she would be of "no use." were mistaken for outrageously sexist remarks.

Hold your outrage for a moment, ladies and gents.
What His Holiness was, in fact, saying was that modern western culture/society still places far too much importance on the perceived superficial attractiveness of women - particularly of women who are seeking positions of power and/or women who are already in positions of power.*

(*See: "Hillary Clinton").

Here's to those of us who don't have a Trigger-Finger on our "Get Offended" Buttons!

YES, HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA IS STILL A FEMINIST

SEPTEMBER 23, 2015

Unexplained Sightings Met With Denial / Aviation Safety Neglected

Many people, upon hearing of a reported UFO, laugh it off: "Ha ha! Little, green men.", and the like.

But... Did You Know?:
"In the 1950's, pilots and crew reported seeing flying discs, cigar-shaped craft with portholes... all with extraordinary technical capabilities.  Documents show the unexplained objects were considered a national security concern.  By order of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, commercial pilots were required to report sightings and the unauthorized release of a UFO report could cost them ten years in prison or a $10,000 fine."

And yet... despite the fact that, even today, commercial pilots and crew are continuing to observe these objects - with some of them experiencing 'near-misses' and/or having electronics/communication affected by close proximity to the objects:  "The vast majority of sightings by American pilots are still not reported. The media perpetuates the censorship and ridicule, handicapping the collection of valuable data."

"In contrast, other countries are openly investigating the impact of UAP ("Unidentified Aerial Phenomena") on aviation safety."

Screw the U.S. government's/military brass' discomfort with honesty/disclosure.

Dr. Richard F. Haines' (former NASA chief and Raytheon scientist) study "Aviation Safety in America - A Previously Neglected Factor" (with over 100 pilot/crew reports of encounters) has already proven (back in 2000) that unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) are a well-documented aviation safety issue.

(Source: This remarkable article by investigative journalist/author, Leslie Kean.)

Unexplained Sightings Met With Denial - Leslie Kean

What Is News-Worthy? Obama, Ole Miss, Racism, Protests, Cultivating Change

I don't watch "The News".
Not ever...  Not for many years...  Not even on "Election Night".
I'd passionately encourage everyone to take a "News-Break" -- even for a little while.

As a result of not watching "The News":  Once in a great while, the weather catches me off-guard. But, I live in San Francisco and:  "If you don't like the weather in San Francisco - - cross the street.".

Since I don't watch "The News", it's been years (thankfully) since I had to sit through a C.S.I. script-worthy, graphically-detailed story of a real-life, violent crime with no "Happy Ending" and in which the perpetrator may or may not be in custody and/or dead.

The result of which:  I sleep better.

Well - "better" being a relative term - I sleep "better" than I did when I would watch the news.

And, not watching "The News" also means that - occasionally - I don't hear about a truly news-worth story when it breaks.  If it breaks.

So, Thank Whomever for the Internet(!), because I've just found one of those truly news-worthy stories...

The Incident: A racially-fueled protest that broke out at Ole 'Miss (The University of Mississippi) after President Obama won re-election.

Needless to say, I haven't a clue if the incident ever "broke" as a news-story in the national media or network news.  

But, it's a story that's well worth your time.

Why?  Because, this is no robotic, dispassionate announcement of some unfortunate event.

There is a very brief description of the protest.  After which a small group of thoughtful citizens from different backgrounds engages in a calm, rational, meaningful discussion in which they offer some real-life, achievable actions - and describe, exactly, whom needs to take those actions - the result of which would be the initiation of change in some of those variables which lead to the protest.

This is what "The News" could... nay - Should be.

From Melissa Harris-Perry:

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