Sunday 29 July 2007

Perhaps they could try Ufocusyn?

Hey, we got our own group of Ufologists here in NZ, and they have themselves a slew of stories to tell. (I particularly noted this story given that I am coincidentally talking with someone about UFOs are the moment.)

This newspaper article is a fairly typical example of reporting. It starts off with the tale of a UFO sighting that someone is reluctant about because "Hansen knows how many people react to her story." But eventually we get to the tale: "When Hansen and her husband came over the brow of the hill that night, the bottom of the valley ahead was out of sight. She still dreams of being able to peek down that valley a little further. What they did see was the whole valley bathed in a bright white light. It was like someone had flicked a switch, but the light was brighter than the brightest sunlight. The car stalled and the couple sat there stunned. On either side of the valley she could see virtually every tree lit up so brightly they had a silvery white colour." Then "Hansen began to notice her arms and legs were feeling numb and tingly. She heard a deep buzzing sound and felt dizzy and faint. She tried to talk to her husband to ask him if he felt the same, but she couldn't speak. Her next recollection is sitting next to him in the dark, both of them staring out the front window of the car."

Wow. Sounds really weird. What the heck could have happened? (A strange light... they decide to stop, it's late at night, they fall asleep... MUST BE ALIENS!) Yeah, to be honest, she knows how people react, because it just doesn't sound credible.

After that, there are more UFO stories related, and the discussion of Ufocus NZ> Towards the end, we get the Skeptic coming in, but the last word is given to the believers.

The big problem with UFO stories is that they are not replicable or testable. As Russell (the skeptic) points out, in today's society as people expect aliens, they see aliens. But "He says just because something is a mystery, doesn't make it an alien spacecraft."
[END]

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