The Pentagon has officially denied the existence of evidence or projects related to alien technology in a 60-page report. This comes as a clear counter to long-standing conspiracy theories suggesting government involvement in extraterrestrial activities.
Authorized by Congress, the investigation was conducted by the Defense Department’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), which examined U.S. government records on unidentified anomalous phenomena, commonly known as UFOs, since 1945.
The AARO concluded that no sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena have been confirmed to represent alien technology. Instead, “all investigative efforts, at all levels of classification, concluded that most sightings were ordinary objects and phenomena and the result of misidentification.”
It also “found no empirical evidence that the U.S. and private companies have been reverse-engineering extraterrestrial technology.” This comprehensive report was compiled through archival research, over two dozen interviews, and collaboration with intelligence and defense officials.
Blake, Wm. The First Book of Urizen, object 23. 1795.
In a first-of-its-kind criminal case, two Miami teenagers were arrested for allegedly creating AI-deepfaked nudes of their underage classmates.
The boys, aged 13 and 14, allegedly targeted girls “between ages of 12 and 13,” using “an AI app” to create the nonconsensually nude images. The boys have been charged with third-degree felonies by way of a 2022 Florida law illegalizing the promotion of “any altered sexual depiction of an identifiable person, without the consent of the identifiable person.”
In December, headlines spread about a similar incident of boys being suspended for creating similar images of their schoolmates.
Israel, amid global criticism for its Gaza invasion, has recruited former Nickelodeon star James Maslow for Instagram ads promoting Birthright trips to Israel.
Birthright Israel, supported by donations and the Israeli government, offers free Israel visits to Jewish diaspora youth, aiming to boost wartime tourism. Critics label Maslow’s involvement as insensitive due to ongoing violence in Gaza, with his Instagram ad facing backlash for promoting travel during conflict. The ad effort comes as many young Jewish individuals protest in support of Palestine.
James Maslow said of Birthright: “It truly made me fall in love with this little strip of land in the Mediterranean. It’s important for young Jewish adults to know what Israel is really about. And I think it’s important for the world.”
The late Senator Dianne Feinstein and husband Richard Blum’s $3 million collection of Himalayan art will be auctioned on March 20. Bonhams will auction 42 pieces from their collection in New York, including items valued up to $600,000 each. The collection features rare artifacts from Nepal, Tibet, and Greater China, and spans an 800-year period.
Blum, who was a wealthy financier, also had a “life-long affection” for Himalayan culture. After Feinstein’s and Blum’s deaths, disputes over their estate led to the decision to auction the Himalayan art collection.
Bonhams, upscale auction house: “The collection was integral to their lives, present almost without exception in every room of their homes and offices. We are honored to be entrusted with bringing it to auction.”
After a 20-year restoration effort, a 26-foot tall statue of Atlas has been reassembled to stand at Sicily’s Valley of the Temples.
Originally, 38 massive statues supported the Temple of Zeus in what was the largest Doric-style structure envisioned during the Golden Age of Ancient Greece, located near Agrigento. Restorationists and sculptors pieced together fragments of these Atlases, dating back to the 5th century BCE, to reconstruct one statue, setting it before the Temple of Zeus ruins as a guardian.
Francesco Paolo Scarpinato, cultural heritage assessor: “The Atlas will become one of the highlights of the Valley of the Temples. We can finally introduce this imposing work to the international community.”
The NATO F-35A Joint Strike Fighter is now certified to carry nuclear weapons, including the B61-12 thermonuclear gravity bomb, amid rising tensions with Russia. This marks the F-35A as the first stealth fighter of its generation and the first new platform since the early 1990s to be approved for nuclear capabilities.
F-35 Joint Program Office spokesperson: “The F-35A is the first 5th generation nuclear-capable aircraft ever, and the first new platform (fighter or bomber) to achieve this status since the early 1990s. This F-35 Nuclear Certification effort culminates 10+ years of intense effort across the nuclear enterprise, which consists of 16 different government and industry stakeholders. The F-35A achieved Nuclear Certification ahead of schedule, providing U.S. and NATO with a critical capability that supports U.S. extended deterrence commitments earlier than anticipated.”
Blake, Wm. The First Book of Urizen, object 9. 1794.
Microsoft has announced an ongoing attack by Russian hackers, known as Midnight Blizzard, involving the theft of source code after spying on executives’ emails.
The attackers used a password spray attack on a test account without two-factor authentication to gain entry. Despite the attack, there’s no evidence of compromise to Microsoft’s customer-facing systems.
Microsoft: “In recent weeks, we have seen evidence that Midnight Blizzard is using information initially exfiltrated from our corporate email systems to gain unauthorized access. Across Microsoft, we have increased our security investments, cross-enterprise coordination and mobilization, and have enhanced our ability to defend ourselves and secure and harden our environment against this advanced persistent threat. We have and will continue to put in place additional enhanced security controls, detections, and monitoring.”
Blake, Wm. Jerusalem The Emanation of The Giant Albion, object 6. 1832.
U.S. intelligence and police agencies have reportedly been acquiring vast amounts of data from brokers, tracking everything from people’s movements to their consumer habits, without needing a warrant.
This data, often first collected by companies for business purposes, is sold to data brokers who then trade or sell it to government entities, blurring the lines between corporate and government surveillance. President Biden has signed an executive order to prevent foreign adversaries from purchasing bulk commercial data about Americans.
There is an ongoing debate in Congress about reauthorizing key surveillance laws, with some lawmakers pushing for restrictions on government purchases of commercial data to protect civil liberties.
Michael Morell, former deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency: “The information that is available commercially would kind of knock your socks off.”
Blake, Wm. The Primaeval Giants Sunk in the Soil. 1824.
The art world has seen a decline in “hypebeast collectors,” who were known for their enthusiasm for artists like Banksy and KAWS, especially after the peak of their market before and during 2020.
These collectors were initially drawn to the art scene through internet exposure to street art and contemporary Pop art, contributing to a community-focused collecting ethos. While some collectors have evolved, broadening their interests to include emerging artists and other art forms, others have exited the market, possibly due to financial constraints as prices skyrocketed.
Despite the apparent decline, the phenomenon of internet-driven art communities continues, as seen with recent attempts to engage audiences through collaborations between galleries and online platforms.
John Marquez, a Miami-based collector and real estate developer: “KAWS had a lot to do with opening access for a wider audience to the art world.”
Adam Green, art adviser: “There are also a lot of people who got into those artists in the early 2000s and just got tapped out financially in the late 2010s when they began to fetch 10x or more on their low estimate at auction.”
Michael Baptist, associate vice president and specialist in postwar and contemporary art at Christie’s: “I don’t know if it could happen now because of how accelerated things are and how the internet’s really changed the sharing of information.”
Blake, Wm. Christian Directed by Mr Worldly Wiseman. 1824.
Iceland is planning on carrying out the world’s first tunnel into a volcano’s magma chamber to harness geothermal energy that could be virtually unlimited.
In 2026, the country will drill into the Krafla volcanic area, which is one of the world’s most active. The project promises to power homes across Iceland, utilizing the intense heat from magma to produce significantly more power than traditional geothermal systems.
Iceland also hopes to advance scientific understanding by allowing direct observation and sampling of magma, which could revolutionize volcanic monitoring and eruption prediction.
“A single magma geothermal plant could generate at least ten times more power than a conventional geothermal plant,” said a representative working on the project.
