Early on Dec. 21, 1978, an Argosy freight plane departed from Wellington, New Zealand, on a routine trip to Christchurch. It was carrying Captain Bill Startup, co-pilot Bob Guard and a cargo hold full of newspapers headed for the South Island. But what began as a routine cargo mission soon morphed into one of the strangest UFO cases of the modern era. As the plane passed Kaikōura, a string of strange lights flashed in the sky, following the course of the aircraft. Some were described as glowing red or orange orbs; others pulsed like brilliant white beacons. Even more remarkable, the lights weren’t just visually observed, they were radar confirmed, too, by Wellington air traffic controllers who reported the objects as solid targets traveling with the craft. “We got a bright red glowing light out to our 10 o’clock position,” one of the pilots said over the radio. For the crew, what should have been a routine flight had become surreal. And that was just the beginning. Lights, Camera… UFO? News of the Kaikōura sightings traveled quickly. Only ten days later, on December 30, 1978, an Australian television crew from Channel 0 (now Network 10), Melbourne, boarded a different Argosy flight to investigate. Reporter Quentin Fogarty, cameraman David Crockett and his wife and sound recordist Ngaire Crockett were the crew. That night, as the aircraft neared the Clarence River, something remarkable happened once more. Air traffic controllers in Wellington radioed in, warning the crew that an unidentified object was trailing them. Moments later, the lights multiplied. Fogarty, a little shaken as he described what he saw, recalled that it was really starting to get scary when a whole formation of unidentified flying objects started appearing outside the plane. Then one of the objects came into clear view, a large glowing shape with a brightly lit bottom half and a clear, round top. It resembled a flying saucer, to the astonished crew. In their scramble to cover the scene, David Crockett was able to shoot nearly 30 seconds of footage, an incredible piece of film that would eventually circulate internationally, fascinating the world. Government Scrutiny and Skeptical Explanations When the Kaikōura Lights sent shockwaves through the international news media, both New Zealand’s government and military launched investigations. The New Zealand Air Force (RNZAFZ) even dispatched a P-3 Orion surveillance plane to conduct area reconnaissance, and the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) examined video and radar information. The explanation provided by the authorities was unsatisfactory to those who witnessed it unfold with their own eyes. Government reports indicated the lights were most likely naturally occurring atmospheric phenomena, such as reflections of squid boat lights reflecting off of clouds or an optical illusion of Venus or Jupiter refracting through the atmosphere. A few radar “anomalies” were shrugged off as faulty readings due to atmospheric conditions. For the people in this story, though, these explanations unraveled under scrutiny. The Wellington radar operator who tracked the objects, John Cordy, flatly denied that they could have been optical refractions or misidentified celestial objects. There was no misunderstanding, he added. These were solid objects; they had been solid objects for over forty miles that had tracked the plane. The cameraman David Crockett was similarly dubious. When skeptics told him that his footage was most likely the planet Venus, he set out to prove this theory to himself and his viewers by shooting footage of Venus himself in similar conditions. The results were starkly different. As Crockett pointed out, Venus was just a tiny dot on the lens, nowhere near the size of what they’d seen that night over Kaikōura. Personal Cost and Unanswered Questions Though the Kaikōura Lights put those involved in the international spotlight, it wasn’t without its downsides. The journalist who had first reported the story, Quentin Fogarty, was now branded the “UFO reporter” by the press. The stress of the situation impacted his health, resulting in nervous exhaustion and hospitalization. That’s when David and Ngaire Crockett’s marriage fell apart, the obsessive quest for answers overtaking their lives. Pilot Bill Startup, while never one to jump to wild conclusions, always insisted that what they had seen was real. But a few years later, he had a stroke and had to retire from flying. Co-pilot Bob Guard, despite being a skeptic of UFOs, later admitted he had never seen anything like it before or since. The Kaikōura Lights, however, slowly slipped out of the public consciousness, dismissed by officials and skeptics. But for the people who were there, the questions were left unanswered. Are Modern UFO Sightings a Pattern? Decades after the Kaikōura Lights, such sightings have not ceased, and similar accounts have emerged, most recently from U.S. Navy pilots who described eerily similar aerial phenomena. The New York Times in 2017 revealed that the Pentagon was conducting research on UFOs and what it called “anomalous aerial vehicles,” including incidents in which U.S. military pilots saw objects that could travel and change direction at hypersonic speeds and otherwise had capabilities that defy known laws of physics. That the same characteristics, unexplained motion, radar returns, confusion among experienced observers, almost perfectly match those of the Kaikōura Lights. “I reviewed this footage,” said the optical physicist Bruce Maccabee, who studied the Kaikōura footage, “and went back and studied the case and concluded the case deserved a lot more investigation than it ever got.” He was astounded that more than one unidentified object had drifted through New Zealand’s airspace and that the matter was later dismissed and forgotten. Conclusion: The Mystery That Will Not Die So, four decades later, what can we say about the Kaikōura Lights? And is the truth still out there, despite various explanations, everything from atmospheric reflections to squid boats. The official reports do not explain how something that appeared to be an optical illusion was visible on radar, nor do they explain how trained pilots and air traffic controllers all misperceived the same phenomenon in real-time. Was this simply misidentified celestial objects? Some sort of secret military experiment? Or was it something much weirder, something that defied our understanding? At present, the Kaikōura Lights are among the most well-documented UFO cases of all time. And perhaps, as the world continues to reevaluate the phenomenon of unidentified aerial objects, we will finally get closer to the truth. Until then, we are left with one final, chilling quote from Quentin Fogarty, spoken into the camera as the unknown lights hovered outside the aircraft that night: “Let’s hope they’re friendly.” Sources and References Coulthart, R. (2021). In Plain Sight: An Investigation into UFOs and Impossible Science. HarperCollins. Davidson, P. (2009). The Kaikōura UFOs [Documentary]. Fogarty, Q. (1982). Let’s Hope They’re Friendly: The Remarkable Story of the Kaikōura UFOs. Nexus Publishing. Maccabee, B. (1979). Analysis of the 1978 Kaikōura UFO Footage. Applied Optics. New Zealand Ministry of Defence. (1979). Official Report on the Kaikōura Lights Incident. Declassified under the Official Information Act (2010). NZ Herald. (2018, December 15). Crew remember the day UFO was spotted over Kaikōura 40 years on. Radio New Zealand. (2021, July 31). Govt officials couldn’t explain Kaikōura lights UFO sightings, documents show. Williamson, L. (2024). It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a squid boat: Revisiting the Kaikōura UFO incident. AA Directions Magazine. Wikipedia. (2023). Kaikōura Lights. The post Kaikōura Lights Revisited: New Zealand’s Most Compelling UFO Encounter appeared first on Anomalien.com.

There was a potent and toxic combination of righteous indignation and ignorance oozing from ABC News moderator Whoopi Goldberg, during Tuesday’s edition of The View. In addition to blaming the crash of a Delta Airlines flight on the runway of an airport in Toronto, Canada on Elon Musk, she demanded to know: when did she give permission to NASA to sign contracts with Musk’s SpaceX? At the top of the segment, Goldberg blamed Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for all the plane crashes. “I have been panicking over all this insanity with these planes!” she shouted as she proceeded to stumble over the pronunciation of DOGE. “And there's all kinds of stuff going on. Like, so let's start with the string of mass firings by Elon Musk's dodge – Doege? Dogge? Doggy. Dogey. Has sparked a lot of chaos, confusion, and fear…” Adding: “Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is defending the firing of 400 FAA workers.” Nearing the end of the segment, Goldberg called on Musk to be what gets “cut” next, despite being incapable of remembering what a government contract was: GOLDBERG: Elon has very many, what do you call it -- SUNNY HOSTIN: Government contracts. GOLDBERG: Government contracts. She then demanded to know when she personally gave permission for the government to buy Telsa Cybertrucks and go into contract with SpaceX. “I don't remember looking for an armored car,” she shouted like a lunatic. “I don't remember asking for it, I don't know why I'm paying for it. I want to know when did I say, ‘hey, we need another agency next to NASA, so let's just’ – So, when did we start paying for his stuff?!”     Sorry to be the one to break it two you Whoopi, but an unelected, washed-up Hollywood has been doesn’t get an individual say in military and government procurement. Goldberg’s later comment that SpaceX was NASA’s “competition” also betrayed her ignorance of just how long SpaceX had been around and the company’s relationship with the space agency. Here’s a little history lesson that Goldberg could benefit from. After being founded my Musk in 2002, SpaceX’s Falcon series of rockets revolutionized space craft manufacturing in the way they brought down the cost of construction and maintenance. And whereas NASA-developed booster rockets were one-time-use and were dumped in the ocean, SpaceX’s were reusable. More recently, they developed the technology to catch the rockets out of the air when they returned. Goldberg was likely also ignorant of how the U.S. Space Shuttle program shut down in 2011 under her favorite president: Barack Obama. After which, the United States government was paying Russia to fly American astronauts into space (how embarrassing). The following year (2012; still Obama), NASA and SpaceX inked a contract to develop a crew capsule: Dragon. And in May of 2020, SpaceX took its first crew to the International Space Station. Actually knowing the history of how SpaceX revitalized American space exploration, brought manned launches back to American soil, and was the literal engines of NASA these days, would really help Goldberg from looking like a complete fool with profoundly ignorant arguments like these: If we want to cut some money let's cut some of these. I'm okay with that. Cause I have to – we have to pay for it. You are paying for everything he sends up that comes back down that falls back down and breaks up. That's out of our pockets. But ABC doesn’t care about the truth. They just want rage The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View February 18, 2025 11:17:28 a.m. Eastern (…) WHOOPI GOLDBERG: I have been panicking over all this insanity with these planes! You know? And there's all kinds of stuff going on. Like, so let's start with the string of mass firings by Elon Musk's dodge – Doege? Dogge? JOY: Doge, they say, yeah. GOLDBERG: Doggy. Dogey. Has sparked a lot of chaos, confusion, and fear because Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is defending the firing of 400 FAA workers. But former Secretary Pete Buttigieg slammed the firings of employees who control communications, radio, commuter systems all given – given all the confusion, so is this really the time to be laying off folks, and who is exactly getting laid off? (…) 11:21:18 a.m. Eastern GOLDBERG: Let me say someplace that could really use a lot of cutting, you know – [Turns to address someone in the audience] Yeah. [ Laughter ] Elon. JOY BEHAR: Elon. GOLDBERG: Elon has very many, what do you call it -- SUNNY HOSTIN: Government contracts. GOLDBERG: Government contracts. BEHAR: Yeah. HOSTIN: Yeah. GOLDBERG: I think, because I don't remember -- maybe y'all heard it, but I don't remember looking for an armored car. HOSTIN: An ugly one too. GOLDBERG: I don't remember -- I don't -- I don't care what it looks like, I don't remember asking for it, I don't know why I'm paying for it. I want to know when did I say, ‘hey, we need another agency next to NASA, so let's just’ – So, when did we start paying for his stuff? SARA HAINES: You’re talking about SpaceX overseeing FAA. GOLDBERG: No. No. You know that he's going to be cutting NASA. HOSTIN: Yeah. GOLDBERG: That's the competition. So, what is the real deal here? If we want to cut some money let's cut some of these. I'm okay with that. [Applause] BEHAR: Follow the money. GOLDBERG: Cause I have to – we have to pay for it. HAINES: Yeah. GOLDBERG: You are paying for everything he sends up that comes back down that falls back down and breaks up. That's out of our pockets. We'll be right back.

The Trump administration dealt a massive blow to the censorship “nerve center” of the federal government.  The New York Post announced in a Feb. 14 article that “The Department of Homeland Security is moving to fire 12 employees of a federal cybersecurity agency that policed ‘misinformation’ while pausing ‘all elections security activities’ pending further review of free-speech implications.” The agency implicated, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), has already reportedly been shrunk down to size, with the Trump administration cutting 130 total employees so far.  [Story Continues on MRC Free Speech America] 

An opinion article in The Hill was immediately obliterated by online critics after claiming that President Donald Trump's policies are racist against women and minorities. The article "Trump's idea of 'competence' — only white men need apply" was authored by Juan Williams, a liberal political analyst for Fox News. Williams cited several examples of Trump's comments and policies to show a bias against minorities and toward white males.'Can anyone imagine Trump hiring a black man who made such a prejudiced statement about whites?' Among the evidence he cited was the rapidity with which the administration forgives white males for racial comments and advocacy:Darren Beattie, now at the State Department, was fired from the Trump administration in 2018 after speaking at a conference that had drawn white nationalists. Now, he is back in the Trump administration after deriding all diversity efforts as “coddling the feelings of women and minority and demoralizing competent white men.” Can anyone imagine Trump hiring a black man who made such a prejudiced statement about whites?The post on social media pushing the article was hit with a community note that listed the minorities and women in Trump's Cabinet in order to undermine Williams' argument. Critics pounced on the article to argue the same point on social media: "There are lot of good criticisms of Trump's choices. This ain't one of them," responded Pradheep Shanker of National Review. "This is demonstrably false and defamatory," replied Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah. "How can you say that? Marco Rubio is Hispanic. Kash Patel is Indian. Do I need to mention the many women in his administration? What’s wrong with you?" read one response. "To be clear, you ignore all the women in Trump’s administration because they’re female, and your 'women' are males. Is that right?" said another detractor. Williams concluded his article by calling for conservatives to follow in William F. Buckley's footsteps when he helped oust the influence of the William Birch Society from the Republican Party in the 1960s. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Comedian Trevor Noah made the argument that segregation would be far better for the black community, in an astounding video making the rounds on social media. The former host of "The Daily Show" on Comedy Central made the comments while speaking to Princeton University professor Ruha Benjamin about the death of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies after the election of President Donald Trump. 'If I'm in a room with black people, already there's an implicit trust because we know what certain actions, words, and vibes mean.' In a podcast discussing the end of DEI policies, Noah asked whether racial integration was the right solution for the black community during the civil rights struggle. "I found myself wondering ... do you think that integration was the right move?" Noah asked Benjamin. "And now I'm separating two things, because I know in America people will be like, 'Well, of course there was racism and segregation.' No, no, no, I'm separating them. Let's separate someone being oppressed and someone not being able to get a job and someone not being able to get a bank loan. Let's take all of those, the negative things, away." Noah then specifically referred to the success of schooling in Finland. "I think part of the reason Finland is able to do it is because — have you been to Finland?" he asked. "It's very homogenous," responded Benjamin. "I've been to Finland. You know who's in Finland? Finnish people. That's it. That's it," he replied. "And because they're all Finnish, there's an idea of, 'No, we're all heading in the same direction. We all know what our actions mean,' and that's a really powerful thing I've learned in communicating with other people. When I'm in a room with anyone where we start to tie together multiple things, so if I'm in a room with black people, already there's an implicit trust because we know what certain actions, words, and vibes mean," Noah explained. "And then you're in the room with another African, already, now even if you shout at me, I know what your shout means. The same way an Italian knows what an Italian shout means," he added. "... I'm prefacing it with a lot because it's a loaded question, but I would love to know if you think integration was the right solution, maybe, on the other side of American civil rights." "No, I don't, and I don't think it's actually that controversial," Benjamin responded. She went on to opine that black people were integrated into white supremacist institutions and were underserved and undervalued because of that. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

ABC News faced a fierce wave of backlash for its reporting on Hamas' announced plan to release additional hostages in two phases later this week.The terrorist group claimed it will release the bodies of four hostages on Thursday and six living hostages on Saturday. 'Civilian hostages, little children, murdered by the evil, brutal scum of Hamas.'According to Hamas, the two youngest people kidnapped by the group, Kfir and Ariel Bibas, are no longer alive; their bodies are among the four to be returned this week. Kfir was just 9 months old and Ariel was 4 when they were abducted along with their parents, Shiri and Yarden Bibas, in October 2023. Shiri reportedly is also dead. Yarden was released last month.ABC News published an article on the update, writing in a post on X, "Hamas will release the bodies of four deceased hostages on Thursday and six living hostages on Saturday, Hamas and Israel confirmed. Four more dead hostages will be released next week, according to Israel."Social media users lambasted ABC News in the comments for softening its language regarding Hamas by outright omitting any mention that the group is suspected of murdering the "deceased hostages.""Deceased, yes. Why are they 'deceased,' exactly?" one user wrote. "Any chance you left out the detail that they were murdered? Seems at least a little relevant.""The people who are paid to use precise words to record every event are suddenly at a loss to find the right word to describe Hamas murdering hostages," another individual stated. "'Deceased' was a deliberate and very poor choice by ABC."Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) blasted the news outlet for referring to the young children as "deceased" and "dead.""Do you mean 'murdered,' @ABC?" he asked. "Civilian hostages, little children, murdered by the evil, brutal scum of Hamas."The Israeli prime minister's office appeared to confirm that the civilian hostages were murdered, referring to them as "four slain hostages," CNN reported.The office noted that "four additional slain hostages are expected to be handed over to Israel next week."Hamas has previously claimed that the Bibas family was killed in a November 2023 Israeli airstrike. However, the terrorist group did not provide evidence, and the Israeli military has not confirmed the claims. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A cross between early GTA and the 1950s Americana satire in Fallout, Deliver At All Costs is a chaotic romp through a seaside resort town. The year is 1959 and you are Winston Green, a downtrodden courier with a shady past and a bad case of road rage. Tasked with delivering absurd items like a ticking bomb or a giant marlin almost as big as his truck, Winston finds himself in an ever-spiraling descent through the criminal underworld of St Monique. If you’ve ever wanted to wreak havoc in a town straight out of American Graffiti or Grease, you can check out the Deliver At All Costs demo right now. Continue reading Deliver At All Costs blends Fallout style with retro GTA, and you can try it now MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best single-player games, Best racing games, Best PC games

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Besieged is a main quest in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 that focuses on Henry and his allies pushing back against the Prague.