Heather Dixon Of Bufora In The Guardian

[Paul_Exeter]

"Most UFOs – like the Chinese spy balloon – can be explained away. But what about the other 2%?"​

"As the head of national investigations for the British UFO Research Association (Bufora), I’m one of a team of people who investigate such sightings, which are sent to us by the public at a rate of hundreds a year."

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/feb/16/ufo-chinese-spy-balloon-mystery


To me the most surprising element of this article is that Bufora are still investigating UFOs, it certainly doesn't seem that way from their website:

https://bufora.org.uk/NEWS.php

No 'News' updates between 2020 and 2023 and precious little since the 1990s, seems to be more of an archive.

Anyway, lots of comments appearing below and quite a heated argument between skeptics and believers, still open to comments if you are quick

 

[eburacum]

It used to be 5% unexplained, now it's down to 2%. Interesting.

 

[Sid]

It used to be 5% unexplained, now it's down to 2%. Interesting.

I put in (phoned in) my ufo encounter which occurred many years ago into B.U.F.O.R.A, and when the person picked up the phone, I found I was put through to a student psychiatrist. Took ages trying to explain things about my report, she ended up saying "oh, we are very busy just now." She didn't even record it. All a waste of time as it turned out.

 

[Yithian]

I put in (phoned in) my ufo encounter which occurred many years ago into B.U.F.O.R.A, and when the person picked up the phone, I found I was put through to a student psychiatrist. Took ages trying to explain things about my report, she ended up saying "oh, we are very busy just now." She didn't even record it. All a waste of time as it turned out.

Maybe they don't want any investigations—did you think of that?

 

[Sid]

Maybe they don't want any investigations—did you think of that?

View attachment 63472

Well no, not really, as I was a younger man back then. Investigations were undertaken by various forces, but things were quietly buried and blurred after the events as far as investigators were concerned.

 

[Paul_Exeter]

Well, over 1.000 comments posted below this article before they were 'turned off' which is a lot by Guardian standards.

[Political article example link removed--mods]

A real divide between believers and skeptics and a shame that some skeptics have to be so rude and patronising, it really does seem to 'trigger' some people. But clearly a demand for articles such as this in the mainstream media (see also the success of "Uncanny" and the 'Battersea Poltergeist' on Radio 4)

 

[eburacum]

Nice shout-out to Alan Moore in one of those comments.

I remember having read in a more or less reliable source, that aliens are mostly rich kids cruising around with antennas stuck to their heads, who get their kicks "buzzing" primitive natives.

D.R. and Quinch Have Fun On Earth, 1983

 

[Coal]

A real divide between believers and skeptics and a shame that some skeptics have to be so rude and patronising, it really does seem to 'trigger' some people. But clearly a demand for articles such as this in the mainstream media (see also the success of "Uncanny" and the 'Battersea Poltergeist' on Radio 4)

"Scepticism is the highest of duties; blind faith the unpardonable sin." Huxley

 

[Coal]

Nice shout-out to Alan Moore in one of those comments.

D.R. and Quinch Have Fun On Earth, 1983

And Douglas Adams iirc

 

[Kondoru]

Ah, D.R. and Quinch...whatta pair!

(I am still in therapy).