The Problem-Solving 'Magic' of Quantum Physics

1 Skeptical Adversaria Skeptical Adversaria April 2001 Issue 3.0

The Association for Skeptical Enquiry Newsletter

THE PROBLEM-SOLVING 'MAGIC' OF QUANTUM PHYSICS

Doug Bramwell

Have you noticed that quantum theory is sometimes referred to by psychics to support their case? Secure in the knowledge that very few of us can come up with a coherent response that can be understood by either ourselves or anyone else, the psychic (who probably doesn’t understand it either, but never mind) can appear to have scientific backing. With Doug Bramwell’s article you too can counter the pseudoscience.

uantum mystery’ and ‘quantum magic’ - both these expressions are used by many physicists when they are trying to explain quantum theory to the layman. Presumably they are trying to ‘Qconvey a sense of the strangeness of quantum theory but, sadly, the rather mystic overtones of the expressions have probably encouraged pseudoscientists and New Agers to find, in quantum theory, a justification for their particular brands of nonsense. There are unanswered questions about quantum theory, and there are unanswered questions about, say, channelling. Therefore quantum theory must explain channelling - easy isn't it?

'Spooky' firmed by experiment. Despite determined until one of the two Quantum theory is 'spooky', as this strangeness, quantum theory spins is measured - the two poten- Einstein expressed it, in the sense is the firm foundation of the 'new tial spins remain 'superposed' - that, at the microscopic level, the industrial revolution' - the elec- neither is decided. What is deter- world does not behave in the way tronics industry and its progeny mined is the fact that they are op- that everyday objects have led us TV, video, computers and the rest posite. to regard as common sense. of information technology. When one of the particles Physicists and philoso- Before looking at the way is measured, however, its spin is phers, too often with little respect quantum theory is used to 'ex- determined randomly and the su- for each other's views, have been plain' pseudoscience and the superposed state is said to 'collapse'. trying to interpret quantum behav- pernatural, let us look at some odd At any time after that instant, even iour for some seventy years, with quantum behaviour. A much if light - the fastest messenger - little or no progress. It just does quoted example is the case of two not make sense. particles which, having interacted, In this Issue The mathematics of quantum the- have opposite 'spins' (analogous to ory in unquestionably correct and the spin of a top in the familiar Quantum Physics 1 the theory's predictions are proba- world), and remain strangely 'en- From the Chairman 4 bly the most accurate in all sci- tangled' as they move away from ence. But, however the mathe- each other. Thermodynamics 5 matics is interpreted, nonsensical According to quantum UFOs in N. Ireland 7 behaviour is predicted - and con- theory, neither particle has its spin 2 could not have travelled the inter- PSI When we turn to attempts vening distance, measurement of In its most naive form the to use quantum theory to explain the second particle will reveal that idea that quantum physics can ex- the origin of consciousness, we it has a spin opposite to that of its plain PSI is based on the strange need to treat the suggestion with already measured partner. behaviour predicted by the theory, somewhat more seriousness. In the widely accepted and confirmed by experiment. First, we can note that Copenhagen interpretation of For example, the fact that two even if quantum mechanics re- quantum phenomena, the critical widely separated particles can in- quires a non-mechanistic explana- measurement must involve the fluence each other 'across space tion, this would not qualify it to be presence of an 'observer'. Some and time' or 'in a different dimen- regarded as the obvious explana- physicists interpret this as mean- sion' (whatever those expressions tion of consciousness. Conscious- ing just some sort of measuring mean), has been seen to be good ness may not require a non-mech- device, but others interpret it as confirmation of the genuineness anistic explanation. the presence of a conscious mind. of pretty well every extra-sensory Probably the best known As we shall see later, this phenomenon - telepathy, clairvoy- attempt at using quantum mechan- latter interpretation has proved a ance, and even precognition. ics to explain the origin of con- gift for those looking for a sup- It has also been suggested that the sciousness is the theory of 'objec- posedly 'scientific' justification for reality of entangled states is an ad- tive reduction', by theoretical believing in ESP, the possibility equate explanation for the claimed physicist Roger Penrose. He of communication with the dead, lack of influence, by time and maintains that awareness is caused alternative medicine, and even space, on the quality of PSI phe- by physical activity within the that we each create our own uni- nomena, whether spontaneous or brain, but that this physical action verse. under laboratory test conditions. cannot be simulated by any cur- Needless to say, the math- One somewhat more spe- rent or future computer. He be- ematics of quantum theory makes cific argument is that because con- lieves this to be true because non- no predictions about the creative scious observation is aware only computable numbers are known to or healing powers of conscious of the outcome of quantum col- exist, and the human mind can un- minds, whether local or distant, lapse, it is perhaps the conscious derstand such numbers. Hence incarnate or discarnate. In fact an- observation that decides which of the mind can understand things other quantum puzzle which has the superposed quantum states is that are, in principle, non-com- been taxing the minds of physi- actually realised. This line of ar- putable. He argues his theory, cists and philosophers for decades, gument has been extended to sug- with detailed examination of cur- and known as the 'measurement gest that there is some basis here rent work in artificial intelligence, problem', is to understand how for explaining psychokinesis. in his two books 'The Emperor's strange behaviour at the micro- Most readers of this arti- New Mind' (Oxford, 1987) and scopic level can be related to the cle will probably agree that such 'Shadows of the Mind' (Oxford, apparently 'common sense' behav- speculative efforts to explain phe- 1994). iour of everyday things such as ta- nomena as poorly understood as To explain the origin of bles, measuring instruments and PSI is unjustified unless it results consciousness, Penrose speculates physicists. There is no suggestion in predictions which are clearly that a new level of physics may be that merely mentioning 'con- defined, and can be tested by ex- required and, in his theory of ob- sciousness' and 'quantum phenom- periments in which they are clear- jective reduction makes use of the ena' in the same sentence solves ly distinguished from other phe- concept of quantum gravity to ex- the problem. nomena. It would be essential, for plain how a superposition of po- It is the lack of a solution example, to distinguish between, tential outcomes might be caused to this measurement problem that say, telekinesis and precognition. to suddenly collapse within the leads to the famous case of It is worth noting that brain. Schrodinger's cat. You may recall even if some comprehensive Penrose's ideas have re- that, depending on whether or not quantum, or other physical, theory ceived serious consideration from a gun has been triggered by a par- showed PSI to be possible, it a number of philosophers and sci- ticle the cat, enclosed in its box, would not follow that PSI exists. entists, but there are many serious remains in a half-live, half-dead, For that conclusion, good repeat- biological problems relating to the superposed state until someone able evidence would still be need- manner in which Penrose specu- opens the box to settle the fate of ed. lates that quantum action might the animal once and for all. interrelate to brain activity. Consciousness 3

Also it seems to me that motives - I only have myself to before Einstein came on the scene. even if such a theory were suc- blame. What Einstein did show, by his cessful in showing how con- equation E = mc2, is that matter sciousness originates, it would not Medicinal and energy are interchangeable - a be one step nearer to explaining Alternative medicine is an fact in daily use for the production the 'subjective' aspect of con- area in which the word 'quantum' of nuclear energy. And the equa- sciousness, and this has been, for is used like a witch's spell to give tion was derived from relativity several centuries a primary prob- support to almost any supposed theory - not from quantum lem for any philosopher who does treatment. physics. not deny or ignore subjectivity. It has been suggested, The paper makes only one Creating the world quite seriously, that all ills can be more reference to quantum The idea that the con- cured by 'quantum healing'. We physics in mentioning the phrase scious mind is needed before a su- are told that quantum physics 'quantum leap' - a fashionable perposed quantum state can be shows that the whole world, in- phrase in the advertising industry - collapsed has led to some of the cluding human bodies and brains, which merely refers to a particle most outlandish ideas currently in is a response to the conscious ob- jumping from one energy state to circulation. These ideas - on the server, so that aging and illness another. Again it is impossible to role of the human mind in the ori- are mere illusions. How the dif- see any relevance to medical mat- gin and nature of the universe - fering illusions of different ob- ters. appear not only in New Age fan- servers fit so well together is not The paper in which this tasies, but also - albeit better ar- explained - or maybe there is only all appears is divided into seven gued - in more serious media. you with your illusions - I must subsections. In addition to 'Quan- The general idea seems, not assume my own apparent self- tum Therapy', the subsection as far as one can find a coherent awareness to have prioroty. headings include 'Multimedia interpretation of the argument, to As is common among al- Testing', 'Emotional Repair', and be that all human minds, past and ternative medicine and New Age 'Full Spectrum Homeopathy'. At future as well as present, are inter- 'philosophers', quantum theory is the end of no less than six of these connected in some non-spatial, again being interpreted as show- subsections, three books - the non-temporal way. The problems ing that the universe created by same three books (one is on raised by such speculation is remi- mind - whether a personal mind or 'Quantum Therapy) - are listed, niscent of those with which tradi- some all-encompassing spirit - is each time complete with details of tional Christian theologians have an interconnected whole that does how to order and pay. been struggling in their attempts not reveal itself to conventional to give some coherence to the idea scientific investigation. The com- Just physics that God is omnipresent and eter- monly associated idea that all If there is an element of nal or timeless. minds are some how constantly in randomness in behaviour at the For most New Agers, touch is, I suppose, comforting. quantum level, I think it likely that once it is realised that some quan- In a somewhat different context, it has no very significant relation- tum physicists hold that human A J Ayer referred to such comfort ship to conscious awareness, or consciousness is needed to col- as 'woolly uplift'. the decision-making activities of lapse a quantum superposition, An extreme example of the human mind - whether 'free' or there seems no hesitation in con- the totally irrelevant use of the 'determined'. cluding that the whole universe is word 'quantum' is in a paper pub- Whatever the solution to the creation of the human mind - lished on the Internet by an Amer- the measurement problem, I can even that every mind creates its ican organisation called the Insti- only think and act as though cats own universe. tute of Holistic Studies. are always either dead or alive, In the latter case, I won- There follows the perhaps and that NHS drugs are more like- der why my mind created a uni- most irrational rubbish that it has ly to be helpful than therapeutic verse with all the apparent evi- been my misfortune to read. In touch or having magnets in my dence that it has taken 15 billion relation to physics, there is a men- shoes. years to get to its present condi- tion of Einstein who, it says, Despite all the talk of tion. And I wish that my creation "Proved that energy may change holism and energy balances - even had a lot less misery and nastiness form - but never gets lost". That by some properly qualified spe- - or is it only nasty to me? It's the sounds like no more than the prin- cialists - and despite the inevitable old problem of evil again - only ciple of conservation of energy, scientific cock-ups, only physics this time I can't question God's which was well and truly in use and its derivative sciences - on the 4 large and predictable scale - are mankind - if it survives long likely to better the lot of hu- enough.

FROM THE ASKE CHAIRMAN The Moving Statue Puzzle

I present here a puzzle that I claim to have invented. However, there is a reasonable chance that source amnesia is operating (c.f. George Harrison’s tune to ‘My Sweet Lord’). Earlier this year I gave a talk on scepticism and asked the audience to take ten minutes out to discuss the puzzle in small groups. The feedback was very varied and interesting and from just this one experience I would recommend the exercise for inclusion in a lecture on scepticism. Here is the puzzle.

A group of religious devotees are gathered pothesis would be to monitor the position of the cen- around a shrine in which stands the statue of a holy tre of gravity of the dowsing rod relative to the ful- figure. They gaze intensely at the statue. After some crum. An upward tilt of the hand alters this and even- time there is consternation! Some of the worshippers tually causes the arm of the rod to swing towards the cry out in ecstasy and fall on their knees. They see person holding it. A swing of the rod without such a the statue moving. They are certain that this is actu- change would, I think, probably refute the ideomotor ally happening. response hypothesis. (Incidentally it is false and bla- To one side of the shrine is gathered a group tantly disingenuous for dowsers to claim that by plac- of scientists. They are gazing intensely at a VDU ing the held parts of the rods in plastic sleeves elimi- screen. The trace on the screen is a recording of sig- nates ideomotor influences.) nals from a device that will pick up the slightest The key issue for sceptics and scientists con- movement of the statue. The scientists are shaking cerning the business of dowsing is that dowsers claim their heads. They are certain there is no movement of that their rods move under the influence of a force the trace and hence of the statue itself. which cannot be accounted for in terms of existing The two questions are: ‘Do you believe that scientific knowledge. The dowsers may be correct: the statue may have actually moved?’ and ‘What is what science tells us now may be proved wrong. Sci- the reason for your answer?’ ence is very conservative. Hence the cry often goes I shall give my own thoughts on this later in up for scientists to be more open-minded, more re- this column. The talk I gave was to the Sheffield Hu- ceptive to unconventional ideas and so on. The reali- manists Society in March of this year. Part of my talk ty is that scientists are human beings; they can be concerned the subject of dowsing. I argued how the open-minded, narrow-minded, tough-minded, woolly- moving of dowsing rods might be understandable in minded, or whatever, without affecting their ability to terms of the more general phenomenon of ideomotor make scientific discoveries. But if they are to be movements. These are movements that appear to the counted as scientists, they must do one thing: they operator as unwilled, and occur directly or indirectly must remain constant to the scientific method. Alle- to the idea or suggestion of that movement. giance to such will never inhibit the progress of sci- Someone who had attended my talk e-mailed ence, but the its abandonment will never ultimately me some days later with a number of questions. One advance scientific knowledge. question was what scientific evidence had I that the The principle is, as always, Occam’s Razor. mechanism underlying dowsing is ideomotor re- If we can explain phenomena within established sponding. knowledge, then let us not offer explanations that re- This is a reasonable question and my answer quire us to invent additional phenomena such as an is that I do not at the moment know of any research unknown force. We must refrain from doing so, that has attempted to test this explanation. There is knowing that it is possible that later evidence will however plenty of evidence that by creating the ex- compel us to accept the previously unacceptable hy- pectation of the movement of, say, the hand or an ob- pothesis. ject on which the hand can exert a force, may actually So what of the moving statue puzzle? My result in some movement that is experienced by the own answer is simply this: unless the scientists’ appa- person as unwilled. ratus is faulty and some entity (a thing or person) is This may be the explanation of dowsing. causing the statue to move, then the statue is extreme- Whatever experiments one conducts, one may never ly unlikely to have moved. I have come to believe prove that this is so. One method of testing the hy- that I inhabit a world in which an object either moves 5

or it does not (unless there is something in quantum instability of whatever supports the statue, the inter- physics that allows this, but we are not in that do- vention of a hidden official from the local tourist main). I do not immediately change important ways board, and so on. Now re-introduce the scientists, but in which I understand the world unless I am com- change the context. The setting is now a psychologi- pelled to do so. Nothing about the circumstances in cal laboratory, the crowd is a group of experimental which a statue is reported to have moved compels me subjects gazing intently at an object and instructed to to do this. (Neither for that matter, does the phenom- note any movement. The scientists are checking their enon of dowsing.) oscilloscope to be absolutely sure that the object re- Run through the puzzle again, this time with- mains motionless. Some of the subjects report that out the presence of the scientists. Yes, the statue may they see the object move. Now ask yourself that orig- have moved – owing for example to the wind, some inal question.

Thermodynamics for Two, Please R. J. Riggins

This article has been taken (with kind permission) from http://riceinfo.rice.edu/armadillo/Sciacademy/riggins/thermo.htm and continues the ‘sciency’ feel to this issue. It addresses the attempt of the creationists to hijack science for their own ends and will once again enable you to appear really clever – the only difficult bit to engi- neer the conversation around to thermodynamics.

"Thermodynamics" sounds really scientific, and intimidating as all get out. We've all known people who drop names, or toss around impressive jargon to make themselves look important or smart. And we've probably all seen someone who, showing off, misuses a technical word, or otherwise goofs up, and manages to make a complete fool of himself in the presence of a real expert. I've even known people who, thus caught out, try to maintain the bluff and make fun of the truly knowledgable person, in an effort to save face before their friends. We've all seen that, especially among children.

omething mighty close to that is what is happening  You can't win. whenever someone tosses out a line like, "Evolution  You can't break even. Sis impossible because it breaks the Second Law of  And you can't get out of the game. Thermodynamics." I know for a fact that Wow! Now I get it. I can see what that would mean in I've heard that from folks who haven't a terms of energy, instead of money. The Universe is the clue what any of the Laws of Thermody- House, the Great Casino. Or maybe it's God who is the namics are. But they've heard that really Great Dealer, who controls the deck, and always takes His impressive-sounding line used in a lec- percentage, so that in the long run the player is broke, and ture, or a tract, or maybe one of those his chips--his heat energy--is dissipated into the void, unre- tiny little comic books, or from behind a coverable. pulpit--and because it sounds so scientific, they adopt it as Somewhere along the line I ran into that slogan: one of their one-line slogans that "disprove" evolution. evolution is contrary to the Second Law of Thermodynam- I promise not to get technical here, and I don't think I ics. I am far from being a physicist, but I knew immediate- could if I wanted to. I would be trying to run an intimidat- ly there had to be something wrong with that. First of all, I ing bluff if I did. I imagine that I learned the Laws of Ther- knew that there wasn't any war between physicists and bi- modynamics in high school physics. But stated in their ologists about whether evolution broke a major law of na- usual dry, "scientific" language, they didn't make much of ture. If physicists didn't see a problem, I figured they prob- an impression on me at the time. I didn't really grasp how ably had a deeper understanding of the matter than the per- they related to the earth or life or daily life. They seemed to son throwing that slogan around. Then after remembering, have to do with the temperature of water in various boring more or less, what the Second Law is, I saw what seemed lab-table "experiments", and I knew darn well they would to me a really obvious and simple solution. be on the exam, and I would probably get them confused The Second Law of Thermodynamics is You with a lot of other equally dry laws and such, that all can't break even. If you do work, if you use energy, if you seemed to be named after Italians and Germans. I first real- convert it from one form to another, you will lose some of ly "got it", though, when a writer (maybe Asimov?), in an it. No machine can be 100% efficient. If you burn coal to SF magazine (maybe Analog?), cast the Laws of Thermo- make steam, to drive a generator, to make electricity, to dynamics into a simple poker-player's analogy: heat a home--you'll end up with less heat than you original- 6 ly got from the coal. You always lose in this game. You does: temporarily and locally, entropy is decreased, at the can never recover the energy you lost. All you can do is try expense of a larger, permanent increase elsewhere in the to lose as little as possible. The creationist looks at this system. The Law says that in the system as a whole, in game and says, "See, life should be going downhill, gain- the long run, entropy must increase. And it certainly ing entropy (becoming less organized), losing energy, and does in the solar system. We're sticking our tiny water- generally falling apart. Life has defied those rules, become wheel into the vast outflow of a reservoir that will never be more organized, brought order out of chaos. Since that's refilled. We're warming ourselves by the exhaust pipe of a forbidden by the Second Law of Thermodynamics, then it huge diesel, that is gradually emptying its fuel tank. We are had to be a miracle." not breaking the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Not After pondering this now, and not in the formation and evolution of life. dilemma for about three seconds, Isn't all this pretty blatantly obvious? Then how the answer was plain. In this game can people keep hauling out this "breaking the Second Law we are penny-ante players. "We" of Thermodynamics" nonsense? My guess is that a lot of is the whole Earth. The high roller them have little or no grasp of these simple physics con- at this table, the billionaire play- cepts, and it sounds "real scientific", and it backs up their boy who can lose a thousand dol- prejudices about how things have to be, so why not quote it lars a hand and never miss it, is and try to sound smart? I think a lot of it also comes from Old Man Sol. We--living things the old notion that the Earth is the biggest, most important on the Earth--are petty players indeed, compared to him. thing around. Any decrease in entropy here seems huge. In He places a huge bet every hand, and loses every time, but our everyday experience, it looks like we can win, or at as he shoves his chips to the Dealer, a few drop into our least break even. In our subconscious, the old, geocentric, laps. We sneak a few out of the pot. The Dealer doesn't sun-hung-in-the-firmament-to-give-us-light picture of the mind. The House is gaining steadily, and the players, as a universe endures, because that's the way things look in our whole, are losing. If the tiny Earth, at the end of the table, daily experience. 30% or so of American adults still think seems to be getting ahead, sneaking chips from Sol, it's no the Sun orbits the Earth. It's hard to grasp how insignificant matter. They're mere pennies compared to Sol's huge loss- our tiny, local reversal of entropy really is, and that the es. And even the measly chips snatched by Earth--our ap- Sun's loss, on the scale of billions of years, really is an irre- parent "winnings"--are only temporary. They, too, will versible loss. Our little niche of life doesn't begin to com- eventually be forfeit to the House. And we can't get out of pensate. On our scale of lifetimes, it's hard to get the big the Game. picture. Some of us are like the tourist in Vegas, who walks away with a pocketful of quarters from the slots, and $100 For the literal-minded (and to avoid floundering too long in from the blackjack table, thinking he's made a killing, my own analogy), these are the facts. The Sun, every sec- amazed at how the casino can stay in business, losing so ond, burns up tons of its hydrogen fuel, losing forever much money to sharks such as he. some of its mass, converted to energy (its entropy increas- And now for the irony (if not to say hypocrisy). es). A micro-fraction of that mega-wattage is intercepted Here's a guy who says that the evolution of life breaks the by living things on the Earth, which store some of it, use it Second Law of Thermodynamics. He says that's impossi- to build up biomass, and use it in all the ways life uses en- ble, because nothing can break that Law. (Add in the ergy. Most of that is lost quickly too, through the ineffi- chutzpah of thinking that he knows physics better than the ciencies of living "machinery". Some is stored, though, and average Nobel laureate.) Then what's his solution? Miracu- some is used to build up more complex molecules, molecu- lous creation. If one dares to point out to him, then, that su- lar systems and life forms (locally, entropy decreases). But pernatural creation, ala Genesis, is in fact truly contrary to that's very locally, compared to the vast sphere of "wasted" the natural laws of the universe, including his favorite Sec- energy radiating away from the sun. And the decrease in ond Law, his response may be something to the effect that entropy is vanishingly small, compared to the huge in- God is outside those laws. He makes the laws, and can crease in entropy in the solar system as a whole. And re- break them any time He sees fit. So that "crime" (against member, whatever life temporarily "harvests" will eventu- the laws of nature) doesn't count. That seems about as far ally be lost also. (People are especially good at that: look at as that sort of person can think. He seems to be saying, how fast we're burning our way through the fossil fuels that "You guys can't do that; it's against the rules of the Game it took living things epochs to capture from the sun.) (but I've made up different rules for myself)." He has ratio- nalized his preconceived notion with scientific-sounding So where is the "violation of the reasoning, and thrown in a statement of faith, to boot. His Second Law"? The Law does not reasoning never seems to extend this far: if evolution vio- say that in every part of a system, at lates the Second Law (it doesn't, but just suppose), and if all times, entropy can only increase. God can violate that Law any time he sees fit, then why If that were the case, no machine, can't it be God that makes things evolve? If any answer at mechanical or living, could ever all is forthcoming, it can be summarized as follows: "It work, because that's what a machine don't say that in the Bible, so it ain't true."

UFO’s in Northern Ireland 7 by Harriett Moore

Harriett risks abduction by investigating a UFO sighting. First is the report that prompted her investigation…

Posted to the UFO Updates Mailing List: http://www.ufomind.com/ufo/updates/2000/apr/m06-001.shtml The first Irish UFO stories in months has been brought to our attention by Luis R. González Manso in Spain, who forwarded a report found in “UFO Roundup", Vol 5 Nr.14, 6 April 2000 UFO HIJACKS CAR IN ULSTER: VICTIM REPORTS SIX HOURS OF "MISSING TIME" An Ulster man claims that his car was lifted off the ground by a UFO, and he experienced six hours of "missing time" as a result. On Thursday, March 23, 2000, John H., employed at a factory in West Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, "was on my way home from work after a long and tiring shift which had lasted 24 hours. So, as you can imagine, I wanted to go home to my wife and children and sleep for a few hours." "But," John reported, "As I was on my way home, I pulled into a petrol station to fill up the tank and noticed to my right a large light in the sky. At first I thought maybe it was the moon. But on looking again, it didn't take on the shape of the moon. Indeed, it took on the shape of an egg." "I was amazed at what I was looking at. At first I thought to myself, Go and get someone to look at this thing...But, as the thought crossed my mind, something told me to get in the car and drive away from the filling station. Without paying for the petrol or anything!" "I got into the car and drove away. The thing was following me. I live on the Falls Road in West Belfast, but I was driving the road that leads down to Dublin. I did- n't want to go to Dublin! I wanted to go home to my wife and babies. I couldn't understand why I was driving down this road. "While I was driving, I noticed the object again. It was starting to scare me very much indeed. So much, in fact, I started to scream. Without knowing why, I stopped the car on a hillside road that leads to a farming area northbound on the (motorway) M-3. The car, it seemed, was lifting. I felt it. But for some reason, I was not sure that it was. It was as though someone was screwing with my brain. Telling me what to think. All I can remember after this was driving on the Whiterock/Donegal Road and back to my house on the Falls Road. The funny thing about it is, on my way home from work, it takes five minutes to get to my home from the filling station. But it was 2:30 a.m.before I got home. I have about six hours of my life gone, and I can't account for it. I want to know what is going on, and I have to know it now." The case is currently being investigated by Conor McLaughlin of the Belfast UFO Society. (Many thanks to the witness and to Conor McLaughlin for this report.)

I was intrigued about this story as International Airport and see what rather faint. The moon rose at it allegedly occurred within 10/15 the weather conditions were for 11.30pm that night and was in the miles of where I live. So I set that date. South East. JT is interested in such about finding out as much as I According to the Met. Office, on stories, and keeps the reports on could about the event. I had never Thursday evening 23rd March, file. We discovered a mutual ac- investigated a UFO report before, there were strong winds blowing quaintance – one Alan Sewell of [normally I look at health fairs and from the South East that night, the Irish UFO society. JT thought alternative medicine issues]. This with light rain and drizzle. Cloud Alan would have known about the was going to be interesting be- cover was quite heavy and low. story and would have been in con- cause it was a new field for me. I then telephoned Armagh Plane- tact with him. He did not know of My investigation consisted of sev- tarium. I spoke to a most interest- any Belfast UFO correspondent eral telephone calls and consulta- ing gentleman there, known as JT. named Conor McLaughlin Next, I tion with a map. He asked me to send him the sto- got some local maps and looked at I began by contacting the local ry, and I duly did so. JT advised the geographical lay-out of the newspapers. No one that I spoke me that, weather conditions per- area, roads and locations men- with had any recollection of such mitting, three planets would have tioned by ‘John H’, noting the an event. been visible in the sky that times and orientation of the moon, Next I thought I would try the evening from 8.30pm. Jupiter be- the weather and any other possible Met. Office, located at Aldergrove ing the brightest, Saturn and Mars sources of bright lights. While 8 looking at the map I made the fol- within the City boundaries; not question of whether John knew in lowing observations. only that, but there isn't a farm, an advance he would be working West Belfast is located on hills to animal or a country road anywhere such hours. If he did, perhaps he the West and North; therefore the near it, unless you count the pi- should have taken a taxi home, main view is to the South and to geons [aviculture as opposed to rather than endangering lives by the East. Belfast Harbour Airport agriculture, I suppose]. Although driving. is only a few miles away, to the the header of the article stated that As Belfast Harbour Airport is only east and planes approaching the John was hijacked by a UFO, my a few miles away from West harbour must do so from the reading of the story indicated he Belfast, and quite close to the M3, Northeast over the Belfast Lough made a number of conscious landing aircraft approaching with or from the South. Both directions choices, the initial one being a de- headlights on, seen through cloud are clearly visible from West cision to leave the garage without cover can be rather bizarre. The Belfast. paying for his fuel. bright moving patch of light, no There are a number of structures John never claimed the UFO came sound and a lack of visual per- visible from West Belfast which near his vehicle. According to his spective contribute to the overall have warning lights; ie apartment story it isalways in the sky, or fol- 'eerie' effect. blocks, power stations, TV / Radio lowing him. Since I had estab- In conclusion, I believe the story is transmitter masts. lished it was a wet cloudy night a misrepresentation of actual Then I considered Johns story in between the hours of 8.30pm and events. It is unlikely John saw ce- the light of these available facts.. 2.30am, there would have been lestial bodies such as the Moon, John H is rather shy about his plenty of vehicles and people Mars, or UFO because of the low name, and indeed details of the about who would notice a low fly- cloud cover and light rain. Having garage where this event allegedly ing egg-shaped alien. It's a nation- considered other possibilities such occurred are rather scant. Such al pastime in Ulster - taking notice as lights on Transmitter masts, I coyness raises my suspicions a lit- of what other people say/think/do. think it is more likely John saw tle. Furthermore, the ‘Belfast Since John was, by his own admis- aircraft coming in to land at the UFO Correspondent, Conor sion, six hours late coming home, Harbour Airport; particularly McLaughlin’ is an elusive beast. did his wife report him missing, or when he had parked; and the ‘lift- There are several in the telephone did he telephone her to say he ing’ sensation he reported in my directory, and I tried them all. He would be late? Unfortunately, the opinion was caused by two things was not one of those. story doesn't tell us. Neither do we – the wind rocking the vehicle, Confusion is evident in the telling know if John is on any medication and tiredness as he drifted in and of the story. Although John or if John takes alcoholic bever- out of sleep. It was an entertain- claimed that he found himself ages. As John claimed to have ing and educational exercise to travelling towards Dublin, he nev- done a 24-hour shift he must have look at this UFO claim, and I hope er mentioned the Westlink or the been exhausted when leaving the that I approached the issue with an M1 – the main arterial route South factory. Very tired people have open mind . However, I would ap- from Belfast. He also claimed to been known to hallucinate, and a preciate other comments and I can have stopped on a hillside road off 24-hour shift seems excessive [un- be reached by e-mail at the M3. The M3 is about 2 miles less you are a junior doctor!]. The [email protected] long and is entirely concentrated 24-hour shift raises the interesting

Skeptical Quote from: http://home.earthlink.net/~promethean/quotes.html Tell a man there are 300 billion stars in the universe and he'll believe you. Tell him a bench has wet paint on it and he'll have to touch it to be sure. (Jaeger's Facts)