US Government Releases “UFO” Videos
In late April, the Pentagon (United States Department of Defense) released three videos that were made by Navy pilots in 2004 and 2015. The videos show objects that appear to be flying in unusual and unexplained ways.
The videos have been shared across the internet for years without permission. Now the Pentagon has officially released the videos, saying that they are real and were taken by Navy pilots. The Pentagon is also making it clear that they don’t understand what the flying objects in the videos are.
(Source: US Department of Defense.)
For centuries, people have been seeing unexplained lights or movements in the sky. Since the 1950s, there has been an even greater interest in UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects). Though many people have tried to link UFOs to life on other planets, most reported UFOs have had clear explanations once they were studied.
But the Pentagon says the flying objects in these videos are still “unidentified”. So what are they? No one is sure. But the fact that the Pentagon is releasing these videos and admitting they are real is likely to encourage UFO hunters to keep on looking.
Us Supreme Court Hears Case Over The Phone
This week, for the first time ever, the US Supreme Court listened to arguments for a case over the phone. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Supreme Court could not meet as it usually does to hear cases.
Instead, lawyers presented their arguments to Supreme Court justices over the phone. The justices listened to the arguments from their offices and homes. The Supreme Court hearings were carried live over the internet, so people at home could also hear what the lawyers and justices were saying.
(Source: Kjetil Ree. [CC BY-SA], via Wikimedia Commons.)
This was also the first time that a Supreme Court justice heard arguments from a hospital. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg took part in a hearing from a hospital, where she was being treated for a gallbladder problem. She has since been released.
Though the discussion between the justices and the lawyers wasn’t easy, the hearings seemed to go smoothly. For some people, it was hard to remember that they were in the middle of a Supreme Court session. Part way through one phone call, someone flushed a toilet and everyone could hear it.
Actor Reads “The Hobbit” in 12 Hours Straight
To raise money for two coronavirus charities, actor Andy Serkis took on an unusual challenge on Friday: reading the entire book “The Hobbit” live over the internet.
For many people Mr. Serkis has a strong connection to the classic J.R.R. Tolkien story. That’s because he played Gollum in the movie version of “The Hobbit”. Mr. Serkis started reading at 10 am in London. The reading was expected to take about 12 hours, with short bathroom and eating breaks.
(Source: Screenshot, Andy Serkis.)
Mr. Serkis originally hoped to raise £100,000 ($123,000), but that goal was easily beaten, and the target was raised several times. Even after the reading was finished, donations continued to pour in, raising over £279,000 ($345,000).