Happy Tuesday, dear friends. I hope you are having a wonderful day. We are blessed with a beautifully warm day here on Paumanok, but are promised frigid weather by the end of the week. We still haven’t completed our leaf raking project, so hopefully we will not get any snow.
I am trying to prioritize more time out in the garden, so grab your cup of coffee for a quick news update before I go spend some time with the leaves.
Today, we jump to the stars and back for our news, so fasten your seat belts and let’s get moving!
Science, religion, and education come together to prepare for First Contact.
Thanks to a dear reader for this link. While this article appeared in the Weird News section of the Huffington Post, it still counts as main stream media exposure. In September, NASA and the US Library of Congress invited top astronomers, historians, philosophers, scientists, and theologians to a two-day symposium entitled, “Preparing for Discovery.” The program was initiated to gather multiple views on how to prepare for the “eventual” discovery of extraterrestrial life.
The group examined various scenarios, from the discovery of microscopic life to communicating with advanced extraterrestrial beings. Many believe that NASA launched the symposium due to recent discoveries of multiple exo-planets that could support life and advances in astrobiology.
The symposium participants were in consensus that the public has exhibited a growing acceptance of the idea that intelligent life exists in the Universe. Ultimately, they wanted to come up with a plan for interaction with extraterrestrial beings, and ways to prepare the public for new discoveries in this area.
Here is another article on the symposium, along with more information related to First Contact, from the alternative media site Collective Evolution.
Moving on…
President Obama calls for stricter regulations of the US internet to support “net neutrality.”
President Obama has gone on record, stating that the internet must remain free. Of course, users pay for service, but he is referring to the proposed structuring of internet service which would allow certain companies to pay for faster content delivery. This would create “fast lanes” on the internet, that are viewed as an unfair advantage by opponents to the newly proposed platform.
The FCC is reviewing the governing of internet companies, and that review has drawn over 3.7 million comments from web users who wish to retain “net neutrality,” where all users and websites are treated equally.
Applying strict regulations, like those imposed on telephone companies, would guarantee uniform service across service providers. Quality and speed would be monitored, so providers would have to deliver a standard product, refraining from blocking certain websites, or slowing down service to users.
Opponents, including internet trade organizations, feel these rules will curtail future investment and development on the web. Proponents of stricter internet regulations believe that all net services should be equal and discriminatory up-charging for faster service should not be tolerated.
Internet Should Be Open, No Fast or Slow Lanes, Obama Says by Todd Shields on Bloomberg News
Women make-up artists can now work for the Indian film industry.
Charu Khurana trained at the prestigious Cinema Makeup School in Los Angeles, California, but when she returned to her native homeland of India, she could not get a job in the movie industry. The Cine Costume Makeup Artists and Hair Dressers Association used a 6-decade old unofficial ban on women make-up artists to reject her request for an identification card allowing her to work in the field.
Women were able to become hairdressers in the huge Indian movie industry that produces over 1,500 films a year, but the CCMAHDA would not allow women as make-up artists. They said the ban was in place so that men would be able to get work.
Kharuna was angered by the blatant discrimination against women, and took her case to court. The Indian supreme court ruled in favor of allowing women as make-up artists and told the association to remove the gender clause immediately.
The ruling judge was very outspoken in his response to the case, saying, “We are in 2014, not in 1935. Such things cannot continue even for a day.” Make-up artists will now be judged on their skill and not their gender, which is a huge breakthrough in the industry.
India top court lifts ban on female makeup artists by Nirmala George on AP the Big Story
Jane Goodall discusses how empathy can bring humans to their highest potential.
Jane Goodall is a leading primatologist, who has done more to help shift attitudes about animals as conscious beings than almost any other scientist in the last century. Her pioneering work with chimpanzees has brought to light their unique culture, and has championed for their rights as sentient beings to be honored on planet earth.
She shares some of her thoughts on the empathy of humans and how it contributes to attaining our highest potential in this lovely Nova video, entitled The Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers. With the brain of a scientist, and the heart of a philosopher and poet, she shows how humans can merge all their skills together to bring harmony to the earth.
The news is bad for you.
This is an older link, sent in by a dear reader, but it is still pertinent today. Excessive review of main stream media news may be bad for your health. The writer, who summarizes a more detailed essay entitled The Art of Thinking Clearly: Better Thinking, Better Decisions, describes the many ways that high levels of news, from main stream sources, can affect health.
Reading news in limited quantities, with a high level of discernment, and a balance of content, is always the best way to go. Seeking out various sources for news pieces that are of interest may also help an individual to learn the facts more clearly, in order to separate them from the spin-doctoring. This is the path we take when preparing the Golden Gaia News Roundups and we highly recommend it!
And, finally…
What’s that shooting across the sky?
This link was also sent in by a wonderful reader. Central Texas residents saw a brilliant light streaking across the sky this weekend, and many took pictures or video of the phenomenon. Some residents even felt the ground shake after the object shot across the sky.
The National Weather Service could not confirm fallen debris, and said the shaking feeling may have been the result of a sonic boom. They also indicated that this weekend was peak for meteorite sightings.
VIDEO: Brilliant fireball seen across Texas sky by Jim Spencer, KXAN News
That’s the news for today. Have a marvelous day. I hope to see you back here tomorrow for more news.
Be Well. Be Joy. Be Love!
Alex