Art Bell

[AlecWest]

Most people know that Art Bell started the "Coast To Coast AM" radio show syndicated on a number of stations - mostly middle-of-the-night fare dealing with "woo woo" topics like ghosts, UFOs and such. I didn't know this until recently but his longtime wife, Ramona, died in January (complications of athsma) ... and less than 3 weeks ago, he moved to the Philippines and married a 21 year-old Filipina woman (Art is 60). They have a bunch of wedding photos posted here:

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/gen/page1405.html?theme=light

He got himself a condo in a Manila high-rise which is where he plans on living permanently. And, he's going to continue doing his Saturday/Sunday shows via ISDN line from Manila.

Interesting. He apparently kept this whole thing secret, even from close friends, until a week after he came back to the U.S. and started finalizing his domestic business. And even now, no one seems to know how and where Art met his new bride. He sure didn't wait too long after Ramona's death, though. So, I suspect this was a quickie mail-order scenario.

[Mr. Dweezel]

So, who believes in UFO's?

[AlecWest]

So, who believes in UFO's?

Well, I think a lot of people do. But, not all people believe that unidentified flying objects are extraterrestrial in origin. Governments that can afford to do so and have the technical acumen to do so are no doubt testing experimental aircraft. And if these experiments are covert, the existence of those "flying objects" is denied, keeping them "unidentified" to the general public.

Personally, I neither believe nor disbelieve in the possibility of extraterrestrial origins for some of these sightings. As difficult as it is to prove definitively that extraterrestrial life exists, it is equally difficult to prove definitively that extraterrestrial life does not exist. And the arguments between believers and disbelievers are like religious arguments ... unresolved until such time that some alien race (or diety) chooses to "go public" in some undeniable manner. But I suspect a lot of UFO sightings, the ones that cannot be explained in any conventional way, are perhaps covert experimental aircraft that governments choose to keep quiet about.

[yoda313]

Yep I agree with alec. Its sort of like XFILES. You know the odds that some intellegent life has to be ought there but a majority of the stuff is mis-identified.

[lumis]

ISDN line? Manila doesn't have DSL, cable, T1's, or T3's? You figure he could get something better.

[AlecWest]

ISDN line? Manila doesn't have DSL, cable, T1's, or T3's? You figure he could get something better.

I suspect that an ISDN line is "enough" for two-way voice transmission. But you're right. There are a lot of broadband providers in the Philippines (for its size):

http://www.birds-eye.net/directory/philippines.htm

[thecoalman]

Governments that can afford to do so and have the technical acumen to do so are no doubt testing experimental aircraft.

Yes and the fact that most of this started in the late 50's and 60's near bases where they were testing advanced aircraft such as the SR-71 is no coincidence. Keep in mind that this plane is over 40 years old and to the best of my knowledge still holds the title of fastest plane. At that time speeds such as this would have been unthinkable, the only conclusion in many peoples minds would have been Extraterrestrial. There would be no other explanation.

6 March 1990
Crew: Lt. Col. Ed Yeilding and Lt. Col. Joseph T. Vida
Speed Over a Recognized Course - St. Louis to Cincinnati (311.44 mi)
Time: 8 minutes 31.97 seconds
Average Speed: 2,189.94 mph

8) What really has my interest is what they have now that we are not seeing. If this could be accomplished with what amounts to 1950's technology the experimental planes they are building now must reach speeds that are unreal...

[Conquest10]

Anyone see the old footage of flight tests of a disk shaped aircraft that "floats"? And that was in 50s? Imagine what they could do now. I'm sure our own government is the cause of most of the UFO sightings.

About life womewhere in the universe, I'm sure theres got to be some sort of life out there. Maybe even intelligent too. But they maybe like us and wonder if they are alone and we will never meet.

[AlecWest]

About life somewhere in the universe, I'm sure there's got to be some sort of life out there. Maybe even intelligent too. But they maybe like us and wonder if they are alone and we will never meet.

Or ... maybe they know all about us and want to keep us at arm's length.

A few years ago, an editor at Physics Today magazine wrote a short story for Aboriginal Science Fiction magazine. In it, a man comes out of a theater at night and is waiting for his wife to come out to join him. While he's standing on the sidewalk, he see's a homeless guy walking toward him. Turning the other way, he tries to ignore the homeless guy. But the homeless guy starts talking to him anyway. He tells the man that he's a former NASA scientist, displaced due to layoffs, and unable to find another job because he's too overqualified. The waiting man laughs and confronts the homeless guy, saying that if he's a former NASA scientist, UFOs really exist.

The homeless guy then stuns the man, telling him that not only do UFOs exist, but he's seen a few close-up and even communicated with a few aliens. Still disbelieving, the man asks the homeless guy, "If there really are aliens out there, why don't they make some definitive attempt to contact us?"

The homeless guy replied something like this - "They know all about us but consider us an immature species. We fight wars out of greed, deplete our own natural resources without giving anything back to nature, and let poor people die of disease and hunger while others live in comfort and bounty. To the aliens, Earthers are the street-people of the universe. And when they see us, they just try very hard to ignore us and look the other way."

[thecoalman]

Or ... maybe they know all about us and want to keep us at arm's length.

That sounds plausible... :P My guess is as good as anybody's and that's all they are is guesses but due the size of the unviverse I wouldn't doubt there is other forms of life. Add to that we really have no idea where the universe is.... i.e. our universe is a atom of piece of dirt under some dudes finger nail and he's about to clip his nails.

[AlecWest]

our universe is a atom of piece of dirt under some dudes finger nail and he's about to clip his nails.

Or (at the risk of getting religious), we could be a turd in God's toilet bowl. And when our stench gets too bad for him to tolerate, kersplushhhhhh...

[Mr. Dweezel]

edit

[lumis]

Or ... maybe they know all about us and want to keep us at arm's length.

A few years ago, an editor at Physics Today magazine wrote a short story for Aboriginal Science Fiction magazine. In it, a man comes out of a theater at night and is waiting for his wife to come out to join him. While he's standing on the sidewalk, he see's a homeless guy walking toward him. Turning the other way, he tries to ignore the homeless guy. But the homeless guy starts talking to him anyway. He tells the man that he's a former NASA scientist, displaced due to layoffs, and unable to find another job because he's too overqualified. The waiting man laughs and confronts the homeless guy, saying that if he's a former NASA scientist, UFOs really exist.

The homeless guy then stuns the man, telling him that not only do UFOs exist, but he's seen a few close-up and even communicated with a few aliens. Still disbelieving, the man asks the homeless guy, "If there really are aliens out there, why don't they make some definitive attempt to contact us?"

The homeless guy replied something like this - "They know all about us but consider us an immature species. We fight wars out of greed, deplete our own natural resources without giving anything back to nature, and let poor people die of disease and hunger while others live in comfort and bounty. To the aliens, Earthers are the street-people of the universe. And when they see us, they just try very hard to ignore us and look the other way."

Wow, that homeless guy sure had a lot of time to come up with a great story, did the guy give him some change? I would have, that's an entertaining short story.