I totally agree with these observations. Also, just imagine the amount of prep time and research it took for Art to keep up with the many paranormal areas the show covered. Noory has a huge team doing that for him (which is why he is not so hot in the retort department, or even in the keep-the-conversation-going arena. There is a big difference in you yourself knowing where the cutting edge is on UFOs or Bigfoot and having a research assistant giving you cards with suggested questions. Art could always add to the conversation by asking relevant questions and George never could.
That's all over now for Art. Retirement means he doesn't have to keep up with all the topics, nor tolerate the repetitive questions and the technical irritations of cellphones, radios left on, etc. I don't care what kind of a job people have, it gets old saying the same things over and over. Art was into the technology being an engineer and all-- which leads me to my lingering remaining question:
Did Art come back to the USA because the cable was cut by the earthquake in the Philippines? Or did some other reason emerge?
Thanks all and a special hi five to Onan --- now where is Hal9000, the preemie guy?
Anagrammy
I won't pretend to know why he moved back here.
I did spend a few years in Asia, playing in a band and immersing myself in the culture. If I had to guess, I would say he and his wife didn't want to raise their daughter in a third world country. The Philippines is not exacty modern even by south east asian standards. It is pretty much a horrible, poverty stricken cesspool. I'm sure he has enough money to live in the "good" part of town on the best of the many islands, but even then, it's still a sweaty, dirty, make believe existence. They could build a Disney park in Manilla and people could go there and pretend all they want that things are wonderful and magical. One step outside the gates tho, and that illusion is immediately dispelled.
An other thing to think about would be that asian culture is very racist, and Art's daughter is mixed. She would never be treated fairly in school, work, or socially, even in the philippines, which is considered one the lowest of asian areas racially. Not very pallatable to us Americans, but still a way of life in that part of the world, whether we like it or not.
Your mention of the technology being interrupted intrigues me. I don't know anything about the "cable" being cut during the earthquake and tsunami, but I can only imagine what happened there phone, internet, and tv wise. The infrastructure in a country like that is incredibly fragile, and the replacement hardware would have to be shipped from other countries most likely, so he might very well have wanted to come back to the USA where he knows that the internet, etc is only out for a few hours unless a nuclear bomb hits. I know I go through withdrawals if Mine is out longer than it takes me to go to the liquor store and back.
We may never know why he came back to the USA, it might just be because he missed his trailer in the desert and the beautiful night sky. Or maybe he will tell us on his first podcast. Something I think he COULD do for a long time.