Page 18 - 201012 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - Decemmber 2010

2010: A Big Year for UFOs 2010: A Big Year for UFOs Lee SpeigelContributor AOL News Like a bad penny that keeps showing up, UFOs have been around on a regular basis from antiquity through modern day. And as 2010 unfolded, the UFO mythology was alive and well. Famed British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, the pope's astronomer, a high-ranking Italian politician and even the late Winston Churchill (according to recently unearthed documents) helped keep UFOs in the news. And sightings of unexplained flying objects came in from all over the world. Let's take a look back at some of the more interesting, strange and funny stories involving UFOs and the possibilities of contact with ETs that appeared on our pages. It's always good to approach a subject like UFOs from an academic perspective, like this New York state anthropology professor who insisted that, not only should UFOs be taken visit here in New York City! of Light? Or maybe you somehow missed that seriously, but they belong in the college At first, seeming to ignore Letterman's particular holiday supposedly celebrated on 33 curriculum. ET invite, the UFOs decided they weren't planets across the galaxy and organized in San The longstanding debate over whether through disrupting airports in China, arriving Diego by the Unarius Academy of Science. or not we should try to make contact with space and halting operations at the Baotou Airport in For citizens of Denver, the November aliens reared its head during 2010. the Inner Mongolia province. election offered a chance to vote for an initiative Astrophysicist Hawking cautioned that any But not wanting to miss out on all that that, if passed, would have created an ET affairs communication with extraterrestrials might the Big Apple has to offer, strange objects commission. pose a huge risk for earthlings. showed up in the sky above Manhattan in the And while triangular, fast-moving But with many people hoping that alien middle of an afternoon. The city was in a frenzy Dorito-shaped UFOs were reported in the disclosure is just around the corner, word came over the reports until it became apparent that English countryside, Scottish computer geek out of the Czech Republic that astronomers had these UFOs may have been more helium than Gary McKinnon awaited his fate for hacking created new guidelines for how we should alien. into nearly 100 military and NASA computers a handle eventual contact with ETs. Hot on the heels of China and New decade ago. All he was trying to do was find Then there was Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the York, UFOs turned up to take in the sights over secret UFO files. governor of Russia's Buddhist republic, Texas and Virginia. Rounding out this UFO year, the latest Kalmykia, who claimed to have made friends We also saw a new version of the well- entry in the which-country-will-be-next-to- with aliens after they first allegedly abducted known fire drills that most young students release-UFO-files competition, it's close him from his Moscow apartment. experience in school. In the United Kingdom, encounters of the Kiwi kind. New Zealand Making friends with otherworldly several "UFO drills" were staged as a way to made more than 2,000 pages of formerly visitors is one thing, but when Vatican teach 8- to 10-year-old pupils how to respond to classified documents public just before astronomer Guy Consolmagno announced he'd a possible UFO crash, including the gathering Christmas -- reports spanning nearly 60 years. like to baptize aliens, it gave new meaning to of any wreckage. Yes, it was an amazing year of UFO the idea of reaching out and touching them. Some people want so badly to meet tales, and we hope whoever's piloting these Not all political leaders feel the need to extraterrestrials that they'll offer the visitors a sophisticated machines -- assuming they are keep alien information secret. Case in point: place to park, as in the case of the small town of machines -- fully appreciates all the press we've Italian Northern League party leader Mario Ares, France. given them. [] Borghezio's crusade this year to convince Along the way this past year, some European Union member nations to release all serious-minded UFO items came to our of their hidden UFO documents. attention. While Americans sweltered in the In Great Britain, newly published secret summer heat, UFOs "invaded" China. It's still documents alleged that former Prime Minister not clear whether it was something truly Churchill believed some UFOs were unearthly unidentified or a secret military aircraft that was and he was concerned that such news would seen. Whatever it was, it resulted in the create a public panic. shutdown of the Xiaoshan Airport for an hour. No-nonsense, credible military officers The media made such a fuss over several stepped forward and broke their silence at a China UFO sightings, even "Late Show" host Washington, D.C., press conference to describe David Letterman couldn't resist talking about it: their firsthand encounters with UFOs that they "When I turn on my computer, I get this claim had tampered with American nuclear AOL thing. They have the morning news weapons sites. rundown ... there have been UFOs over China. We learned about Elvis Presley's Think how exciting that would be if it happened reported interest in UFOs and collection of New here. It would be tremendous, wouldn't it? Age and UFO books that he brought with him "So, I would like to now make a plea to on tour in big luggage trunks. other life forms and forces in other galaxies in Unarius Academy of Science Members the universe. Please come do that for us. of the Unarius Academy of Science prepare to Because you can't buy that kind of coverage. welcome the Interplanetary Conclave of Light, Please come to the United States, come pay us a a holiday purportedly celebrated on 33 planets. Did you make it to the Interplanetary Conclave