UFO Sightings on the Increase

Thursday, September 22, 2011

UFO Sightings on the Increase

The iconic bicycle moon scene in E.T. Image Source: Universal via Wiki.

According to the HuffPo, UFO sightings have increased 67 per cent in the USA over the past three years. The History Channel is investigating. A casual glance at the many blogs devoted to UFOs confirm that they are busier than usual. 5 per cent of reported sightings are not easily explained; most sightings turn out to have clear explanations (like this one in Kansas City - which was in fact "the Army Golden Knights parachuting team, performing a nighttime jump"). An August 23 report in Laredo Texas still has no explanation. Although it turns out Laredo happens to be hosting a UFO conference in November.

Alien ships in Childhood's End (1953) were inspired by WWII barrage balloons floating over London. Image Source: Wiki.

As for believing UFOs are real, the possibility, while it exists, is likely to be really unpleasant. I've read Childhood's End. Although the aliens there were supposedly benevolent, I found them creepy.

The other night, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) was on, one of the few movies where aliens are depicted as friendly creatures. What a magical film - it still brings back American childhood at that time, overshadowed by divorce and 80s' consumption, but perhaps for that reason all the more surrounded by withdrawn fantasy, tucked away in the rec rooms of Californian suburbia. It carried a powerful message about overcoming alienation, within oneself, and from others. I'd like to believe in that! E.T., a pivotal film associated with Gen X youth, celebrated its 25th anniversary in the summer of 2007. And now, in a bad recession, Gen X keeps looking skywards.

Thursday, September 22, 2011