WOW Ivan, that was interesting!
So if what Rabinowitz is suggesting is correct, in order to explain "ball lightening" we have to accept the hypothesis that "little black holes" exist, that they do not vaporize super quickly, and that "gravitational tunneling" must happen and accounts for all the missing mass that current theories suggest. WOW, I might say it was bit specious but then again I am not that formally acquainted with Hawkings work nor the suggestions relating to quantum gravity. It would be interesting though and would certainly turn heads in the astrophysics world. Most interesting of all is the hypothesis that "ball lightening" can be a test of his model. One more time, WOW!
Wait and see, apparently it made it pass the reviewers at the archives. Of course he would have a lot more to do in order to robustly formulate his conjectures. His justification for gravitational tunneling was certainly a back of the bar room napkin kind of derivation. He does seem to do some good accounting for the energies involved with ball lightning though. Then again, what the heck do I know???
Hey, if he is correct, this would explain a lot of those ufo's and opens the door for some other wild speculations.