PUPPET UFOlogy Con

PUPPET UFOlogy Convention 2005 to land in Philadelphia.

UFOs, aliens, and people in dreadful costumes will descend upon Philadelphia at the end of the month.

"This is serious science," prominent UFOlogist Dr. Sarah Hine of the People United for Protection of Peaceful Extra Terrestrials, told our reporters. "Despite the reputation that the media has given us, many people believe in the work that we do. It is our intention to discuss methods of proving their existence to the public. This coming convention hope to debut this proof to the world."

"The reputation that Dr. Hine refers to is not badly-deserved. The pseudo-science of UFOlogy, extraterrestrials, and generally everything this convention represents is about the science of not having evidence. The mere fact that the government witholds details of experimental plane crashes is offered up as proof that they are taking technology from an alien race. Whilst it may be an explanation for the evidence at hand, it is an implausible one based on little, if any, fact at all." Professor Harlan Eldridge of Penn State University had to say. "This is not to say that there isn't some legitimate science in this field - but that is the science of possibility, not of fact."

Still, the annual convention has a habit of drawing a loyal audience from all over the state, if not the country. On November 28, Dr. Hine promises "new evidence that will rock the world of UFOlogy forever." This may just be pre-convention hype, but it also may be, as she calls it, the "first step toward legitimating the science."

DAVID HOLLAND for the Philadelphia Inquirer.