2014 in Review: UFOs & Conspiracies

Hosted byGeorge Knapp

2014 in Review: UFOs & Conspiracies

About the show

George Knapp reviewed some of the past year's weirdest and most significant news from the world of UFO and conspiracy research with Lee Speigel from the Huffington Post in the first hour, Mark Allin with Above Top Secret in the second hour, and Alejandro Rojas from Open Minds TV and the UFO Congress in the latter half of the program.

Reflecting on the paranormal news cycle of 2014, Lee Speigel noted that the proliferation of satellite images from Google as well as pictures taken by the Mars rover have given rise to a plethora of "strange object" stories. Regarding the two biggest such stories, 'alien bases' allegedly discovered both on the moon and off the coast of Malibu, he explained that experts on satellite imagery believe they were the result of how the software creates such images rather than something extraterrestrial. Concerning photos of mysterious objects on Mars, Speigel observed that these stories have become so plentiful that NASA seems to have developed a stock answer, which the mainstream media readily accepts, dismissing the images as either a camera trick or just a rock. That said, he opined that "one of these days, they're not going to be able to explain something and it will all come back on them."

In discussing the cyber warfare which erupted following the Sony hack and the net neutrality debate, Mark Allin declared that, "I think it's the biggest conspiracy of the year." According to him, in the weeks that followed Sony being initially hacked, a surreptitious global internet battle took place which took down numerous websites and generally disrupted cyberspace. While this may have been a retaliatory effort against those who hacked the entertainment giant, Allin suggested that it also could have been a test run by the 'powers that be' to test the Internet's vulnerabilities. On that note, he warned that if the Internet continues to be rendered unstable, it could give way to the populace being more amenable to regulations which would ultimately lead to the suppression of independent voices. During his appearance, Allin also discussed the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 as well as the Ebola outbreak.

During the latter half of the program, Alejandro Rojas detailed some of the top UFO video cases and stories of 2014. One particularly compelling case occurred this past August when police investigated a UFO sighting reported by a woman in Pennsylvania. Upon arriving on the scene, the officers were also baffled by the strange light hovering the sky and recorded it on video. Rojas pointed out that what made this event unique is that, when the local media reported on the case, a representative from the police force did not deny the story and, instead, said that their officers observed something "out of the ordinary for the night sky." He credited them for being honest about what took place, since authorities are usually more evasive when pressed for information about police investigations and UFOs.

Beyond that event, Rojas noted that some of the most promising UFO footage of the past year was captured via night vision technology and cited cases in North Carolina and Michigan where a triangular craft was seemingly filmed by witnesses. To that end, he surmised that this night vision capability may be a key tool in developing new insights about the phenomenon. Conversely, Rojas expressed dismay that the increasing availability of drones and small LED lights have given hoaxers a greater ability to create their own 'UFO' footage, leading to further confusion and ridicule surrounding the subject. Looking ahead to the future, he cited stories of microbial life being discovered in space as well as cooperation amongst international UFO research groups as two areas which seem promising for 2015 and beyond.

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George Knapp shares a number of items that have recently caught his attention including articles on an inventor who claims the United States stole his idea for stealth technology, how storytelling affects human biology, and the weirdest hoaxes as well as top scientific breakthroughs of 2014:

Caricature of George Knapp by Dennis Rano, ufologistoons.com

Bumper Music

Last Night

JFK Assassination Revelations / Open Lines
JFK Assassination Revelations / Open Lines
JFK researcher George Schwimmer shared his remarkable theory about two "Lee Harvey Oswalds" at the JFK assassination. Followed by Open Lines in the latter half of the program.

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