YouTube is littered with videos claiming to show UFOs of some sort or another (my most recent search for the term UFO returned 30,000 results), but by and large, most show a single dot in the sky with no frame of reference that may be debunkable, but would never be provable as a UFO. Others that appear to be of some sort of UFO are actually, after closer inspection, something quite identifiable. Normally, I just ignore clips like this by and only post videos that defy explanation (or at least leave me wondering what I saw). My first inclination when I saw this video from Mexico was to pass on posting it, but then I thought it may be fun to put it up, explain what I think we are seeing and open up the comments for you to post your own theories about the video.

Here is the video in question (the UFO footage starts about 36 seconds in):

I believe what we are seeing in this footage is a balloon arch that has either been released or has broke free from its tether. At approximately 1 minute 15 seconds into the video you can start to make out the shape of the individual balloons making up the arch. If this is a balloon arch, a single balloon breaking free even explains the “UFO Orb” pointed out 2 minutes and 48 seconds into the video. What do you think the object in this video is?

Stunning UFO Snake Mexico 2009

Britain’s DNA database is unquestionably one of the largest (if not the largest) such database in the world. Its tremendous size is due in part to the blatant flaunting of EU court rulings (which as part of the EU Britain has agreed to abide by) regarding the storage of DNA records of innocent individuals. Instead of immediately purging DNA of innocent parties from the database the UK maintains those records for six years. According to a new report by the government’s advisory board on the development of human genetics, police in the UK may be abusing the country’s lax DNA rules to ensure that the database contains information on whomever they wish.

During its investigation, the commission found that it has now become routine practice to take a DNA sample at the time of arrest (rather than after a conviction), guaranteeing the samples availability for at least six years. In fact, the commission found evidence that officers will arrest potential subjects on any grounds just to obtain DNA samples. In some cases the arrestees are not even formally charged with a crime. According to data released by the home secretary there are nearly one million DNA profiles belonging to innocent individuals in the database. While innocent citizens currently make up only 20% of the database (a figure that is alarmingly high), the data suggest that figure will continue to rise unless some form of oversight is put into place to prevent this abuse from continuing.

Police routinely arresting people to get DNA, inquiry claims [via Boing Boing]

For approximately one minute a series of bright flashes were visible across the South West Florida communities of Cape Coral, Sanibel, and Ft Myers. Witnesses reported electrical anomalies in their homes and some were even unable to start their car. Following the event, 5,000 homes on Sanibel Island were without power. Currently there is no official explanation for the flashes, though some speculate that the lights may have been caused by failing substations. However this theory would not explain the inability to start cars or the strange sensations felt by witnesses. Watch the flashes for yourself and let me know what you think they are in the comments:

Mysterious lights in the sky over Southwest Cape 21st Nov 2009 [via IQXS]
Bright flashes of light in the sky