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New Maori queen crowned in New Zealand – and she's Catholic
Sep 5, 2024
Amid the grief following the death of their king, the Maori people rejoiced as the late monarch's youngest daughter, Nga Wai hono i te po, was named as his successor.
Chosen by the council of Maori chiefs, the 27-year-old made her first appearance as kuini ("Queen") Sept. 5, taking her place on a throne near the coffin of her father, the late King Tuheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII.
Thousands gathered in Turangawaewae marae to pay their respects to the late king following a weeklong period of mourning in the country's North Island.
As the sounds of the haka, the traditional Maori war chant, echoed, the new queen accompanied her father's casket on a two-hour canoe ride along the Waikato River, bearing him to his final resting place.
King Tuheitia died Aug. 30 at age 69. His death came just nine days after he celebrated his 18th anniversary as king of the Kiingitanga, or Maori king movement, which was established in 1858 to unite the Maori tribes following the loss of lands due to British colonization.
Queen Nga Wai hono i te po is the second Maori queen in the eight-dynasty reign; her grandmother, Queen Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, was the first to reign as queen.
According to the Catholic news website CathNews New Zealand, it was Queen Te Arikinui who asked that her granddaughter be baptized by the late Auxiliary Bishop Max Takuira Matthew Mariu of Hamilton, the first Maori Catholic bishop.
Her baptism in the settlement town of Parakino was not only meant to symbolically unite Maori tribes in the areas near the Waikato and Whanganui Rivers, but also to signify the close ties between the Kiingitanga movement and the Catholic Church, CathNews New Zealand reported.
The new queen's name was inspired by the symbolism of her baptism: "Ngawai Hono ki Parakino," which translates to the "Joining of the Rivers" in Maori.
https://www.detroitcatholic.com/news/new-maori-queen-crowned-in-new-zealand-and-shes-catholic
Canada's new $20 silver coin is based on a UFO sighting, and it's rectangular
Sep 5 2024, 5:47 am
Coins often feature an essential part of a country’s history, and the newest Canadian coin certainly has a story to tell.
Royal Canadian Mint’s latest design is out of this world: a $20 pure silver rectangular coin that glows in the dark.
The coin, which measures 49.80 mm by 28.60 mm, features a reverse designed by Canadian artist Steven Hepburn. Hepburn has previously worked on designs with Canada Post.
This time, Hepburn’s coin design features his interpretation of the Langenburg Event, an unexplained phenomenon on September 1, 1974.
That morning, a farmer swathing his fields near the town of Langenburg, Saskatchewan, saw five polished, steel-like objects shaped like saucers rotating and hovering above the ground.
The objects then rose and disappeared.
An RCMP incident report states that the objects left behind “five different distinct circles, caused by something exerting what had to be heavy air or exhaust pressure over the high grass.”
Science writer and journalist Chris Rutkowski said that the 1974 event occurred years before “crop circles” were discovered in British fields several years later.
“RCMP investigation failed to definitively explain what the eyewitness had seen, nor what created the ‘UFO landing site,” said Rutkowski.
The incident drew local and international attention, and the new design is the latest addition to Canada’s Unexplained Phenomena series.
The seven coins are based on documented accounts of “strange encounters, occurrences and sightings across Canada.”
Hepburn said he tried to imagine the awe and disbelief the eyewitness must have felt as he went about his routine.
“The initial amazement must have quickly turned into fear as he grappled with the realization of what he was witnessing.
Talk about a life-changing event,” he said.
To add to the otherworldly effect, the coin also glows in the dark and comes with a backlight flashlight.
The obverse features King Charles III and was designed by Canadian portrait artist Steven Rosati.
Royal Canadian Mint will only produce 6,500 of these coins.
If you want to own a small piece of Canada’s extraterrestrial history, you can order the coin here for $139.95. Shipping starts on September 11.
https://dailyhive.com/canada/coin-anada-rectangle-glow-dark
Alien Warning: Growing Belief in UFOs Is Dangerous 'Political Tsunami'
September 4, 2024
The belief that aliens have visited Earth and may even live among us is not a new concept; it has persisted for centuries. But now this notion is gaining unprecedented traction in the U.S. and abroad, raising concerns about its potential impact on society.
In the U.S., belief in UFO sightings as evidence of alien life has surged from 20 percent in 1996 to 34 percent in 2022, with 24 percent of Americans reporting they have seen a UFO, according to a 2022 YouGov poll of 1,000 U.S. adult citizens. In short, this belief is no longer confined to the fringes.
In a recent study accepted for publication in the Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, Tony Milligan, philosopher and senior research fellow at King's College London in England, said that the belief in alien visitors has evolved into a widespread societal concern.
"When you're dealing with populism, or this highly specialized variant of populism, you're dealing with a wave—a political tsunami," Milligan told Newsweek.
The shift in belief has gained such momentum that it is now influencing political discourse, particularly in the U.S., where the topic has garnered bipartisan attention.
"You don't worry about this stuff when it's 2 percent of the population… but you don't expect it to be reaching the floor of Congress," Milligan said.
The Pentagon's recent disclosure of information regarding Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs) has only fueled public interest and speculation, though the issue of UFO disclosure has persisted across multiple administrations.
Hillary Clinton, during her 2016 campaign, expressed a desire to "open [Pentagon] files as much as I can," while Donald Trump suggested he would "think about" declassifying documents related to the notorious Roswell incident.
Milligan said that there are three primary dangers associated with the mainstream acceptance of these alien visitation narratives.
The first is an erosion of trust in government and institutions. Milligan said that the widespread belief in government cover-ups related to UFOs—held by over 60 percent of Americans—undermines trust in public institutions.
This erosion of trust can have far-reaching consequences for democratic governance and is part of the wider problem of populism.
Secondly, the incorporation of UFO narratives into indigenous storytelling poses a risk to the preservation of original cultural meanings.
"Fragments of the earliest tales are still there within indigenous storytelling, and along comes this UFO visitation narrative and it starts to overwrite that stuff," Milligan said.
As these alien narratives gain validation, the true cultural significance of indigenous stories may be lost.
"Squeezed through a New Age filter of 1960s counterculture, the narrative was flipped to value indigenous people as having once possessed advanced technology," Milligan wrote in a recent piece for The Conversation.
"Once upon a time, according to this view, every indigenous civilization was Wakanda, a fictional country appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics."
Finally, the proliferation of alien visitation tales creates noise that distracts from genuine scientific inquiry.
At a time when scientists are making significant strides toward discovering microbial life beyond Earth—a potential milestone in human history—these conspiracy theories risk obscuring serious scientific efforts.
"These tales create so much background noise that it gets in the way of legitimate science communication," Milligan added.
The rise of social media, combined with politicians seeking marginal gains wherever possible, means that this problem is likely to grow.
"None of these things are good for democratic societies. They're all bad, and they're all growing," Milligan said.
In light of these challenges, Milligan added that political figures should take a stand against the spread of alien visitation beliefs. "It would make sense for political figures to speak out about these things," he said.
Additionally, he added there should be efforts to protect scientific integrity and preserve authentic indigenous stories.
"We can try and accelerate the process of recording stories that are transmitted orally before it becomes impossible further down the line to disentangle what's authentic from what's not authentic."
Ultimately, however, Milligan is not optimistic about reversing this trend. "You can't stop the wave," he added.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/alien-warning-growing-belief-in-ufos-is-dangerous-political-tsunami/ar-AA1pZSYz?ocid=BingNewsVerp
Tom Cruise’s ‘Obsession’ With Aliens and UFOs Fueling His Determination to Film a Movie in Space
Sep 2, 2024 5:00 pm
Tom Cruise continues to risk life and limb by putting his body on the line for death-defying stunts – and he’s now turning his attention to filming a new movie in space, while becoming fixated by the paranormal and UFOs, an insider exclusively tells In Touch.
“Tom has always been absolutely obsessed with extraterrestrial life forms, which is why he’s so determined to get his space movie off the ground,” the source says, referring to an upcoming movie with intentions so optimistic they may as well be reaching for the stars.
Universal Pictures’ chairman Donna Langley is currently eyeing a project that would see the Mission: Impossible star do just that – take to space in conjunction with Elon Musk’s company SpaceX and film with the stars – the real ones!
Director Doug Liman, who worked with Tom, 62, on sci-fi blockbuster Edge of Tomorrow, has also spoken out about the project, saying, “It’s a dream and a plan.”
While specifics are staying vague regarding the film, the source confirms that the daredevil actor “can’t wait to go up there and float around.”
Boldly going where no actor has gone before isn’t new for the Risky Business star.
A second source previously told In Touch that “many of his peers increasingly rely on stunt doubles, especially when they get to a certain age, and Tom does do it to a limited capacity, but mostly does his own impossible feats.”
The All the Right Moves actor has racked up an impressive list of eye-watering stunts over the years, including scaling the Dubai skyscraper Burj Khalifa, clinging onto the side of a flying plane, driving a motorcycle off a cliff, smashing into the side of a car, learning to fly a helicopter and then flying one down the side of a mountain, dangling 2,000 feet over the edge of a rock face, and landing in water after a parachute drop, to name a few.
To date, Tom’s adrenaline antics have cost him broken ribs, a broken ankle and a near decapitation from mechanical horses while filming The Last Samurai.
However, the source says it’s more than just the thrill of doing the biggest stunt ever attempted by an actor that’s launching Tom to literal stardom.
“It’s not just the ultimate stunt,” the insider continues, “but he’s also fascinated with UFOs.”
“He spends hours reading about them and studying all the many classified documents that have been released about them in the last few years.”
“He has all sorts of high-powered telescopes and thinks people that doubt the existence of life on other planets are the delusional ones who are just kind of uneducated.”
“Obviously, it’s been partly inspired by his belief in Scientology,” the source states.
“He’s hyper committed to making a big difference in the universe, not just on planet Earth and his movies reflect that, as do his spiritual beliefs.”
“Anyone wanting to spend time with him should be prepared for a very heavy lecture on this topic, because he’s passionate about it beyond belief.”
https://www.intouchweekly.com/posts/tom-cruises-alien-and-ufo-obsession-fueling-space-dreams-excl/