UFOs and Ghosts

In the last post, I showed how a simple solution enabled badgers to regain habitat. Often all that is needed is some straight forward logical thinking.

Now to go off on a tangent, a couple of months ago the MOD (Ministry of Defence) released files relating to UFO sittings in Britain. Now I have had three occasions when I ave seen things that have made me wonder what I was seeing. The first time I was looking after a friends Cats, staying in her flat, and in an unfamiliar bed. I awoke to see a formation of lights that had the classic shape a flying saucer. As I pulled myself from sleep and watched the object transformed its shape into a jumbo jet. In the dark and from the angle it looked like a UFO but once identified it had a rational explanation.

Then a few years latter I had just moved into a flat in Gateshead. I had not had the time to get any curtains up so in the middle of the night when I was awoken by a frightful bright light flooding through the window, my first thought was that I was being abducted by aliens. It was not the most crime free area and the explanation was simply hat the police helicopter was shining its light down and into my window, as well as illuminating the suspect just as he was arrested.

Both sightings, apart from the sleep factor, were quickly resolved by simple logical thought and observation. There was also an incident when out in the Northumberland National Park. With some friends, we had all been drinking and were staying in a village hall as part of a conservation work team. While outside smoking and staring at the stars, it is a great place for star gazing, someone spotted an object in the sky. It was not a conventional aircraft, and sometimes it was moving at others it hovered. We could see it for twenty minutes or so, then it descended. What was amusing was the speculation, straight away everyone was talking about other worldly explanations. No one was prepared to apply any logic to what we had seen. Then the following morning the description of what was seen to the people in the group that had not seen the lights in the sky, was growing with each telling.

My speculation was that it was likely to be something the military were doing that we saw, and it was nothing to do with little green/grey/blue (delete as appropriate) men from out there. But there were people that convinced themselves that what they saw was something from outer space. No logic and no facts was going to dissuade them of this. I even tried to make a joke of it by saying that I was glad that I had not been the victim of a crime as the police would never catch the culprit had my fellow slaves been the witnesses.

It is actually something that is well known to the law enforcement that people will elaborate upon what they have seen. That's why in fishing stories the one that got away grows in size with each telling.

The problem with UFOs is that people start to believe what they want rather than what the facts are. Just because you may see something that is unidentified, or you cant identify, does not mean that it is extra terrestrial Personally I think that if someone wants to believe that there ETs exist they are more likely to give an extra terrestrial explanation should they see something. I genuinely have an open mind, but thus far all the supposed sightings have a rational explanation. I would love to find or see real evidence of flying saucers, but until I see that I will remain unconvinced that we are being visited.

The problem for me is that with our currant scientific knowledge it is impossible to cross the void of space. The distances are to vast and the amount of food, water and fuel needed to make the journey across the vast distances impossible. Further, only by having beings that could be very long lived would that journey possible. While I love science fiction, that's me revealed as a geek, until we invent the warp engine, it is just that, fiction.

Coincidently, the formation of lights seen in Northumberland was very similar to the infra red illumination that are used on the remote observation drones that are used by the Army in Iraq and Afghanistan.

While on the topic of curios incidents, I recently discovered a ghost story that was linked to a place I used to live. When my ex wife and I split I moved to a flat in Gateshead. Not the same one where the police made me think I was being abducted by aliens, and the next street had literary connotations it was called Bronte Street. Therefore when I spotted mention of a haunting in that street I wanted to know more.

In 1963/4 the Coulthard family reported poltergeist activity. A local clergyman carried out an Exorcism but with no effect. The effects of the poltergeist was objects moving plates crashing off the shelves, objects moving. As the property was a council house they were eventually rehoused.
That last fact narrowed down the property, as Bronte Street was a small street, it has now been demolished, and the house had to be close to the railway line. As only the houses at that end were council owned. The rest were privately owned. While when I lived there the rail there was mainly used by the Metro, Newcastle's light rail system, there were also mainline tracks running alongside. Further, I knew from talking to neighbours who had lived in the area for years that during the fifties and sixties trains passing would rattle the houses there. In fact when having tea with the old lady and her mother who lived below me, when I first moved in. They told me that during that time you did not need to stir your tea as the passing trains would do it for you.
So poltergeist activity? Also, the area has had for a long time been a difficult area to live in because of crime and such, so I can see the Coulthard family using a story of a haunting to get themselves rehoused to a better area.

Just as with UFOs people will believe what they want to believe no matter what the facts are.

While I hope that aspects of these stories have amused you, I also hope that it has got you thinking about the way that some people will ignore the facts and follow their own agenda or prejudice or mindset. When talking of UFOs or ghosts, well they are free to believe what they want. The problem is when we are talking about Climate Change, ignoring the facts, the science will only lead to us creating an environment that is going to be difficult to live with. It makes me think, does it make you think?