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Post details: Fly me with Balloons so I can meet Catherine McPhee

04/24/08

12:26:56 pm, Categories: Announcements [A], 243 words

Fly me with Balloons so I can meet Catherine McPhee

CATHOLIC priest who floated away under hundreds of helium balloons in a bid to raise money for his parish is missing off Brazil.

Only pieces of the party balloons have been found by searchers looking for Reverend Adelir Antonio de Carli off the coast of Santa Catarina state, the Associated Press reported.

Mr de Carli, 41, lifted off from the port city of Paranagua yesterday afternoon wearing a helmet, thermal suit and a parachute.

He was reported missing about eight hours later after losing contact with port authority officials, according to the treasurer of his Sao Cristovao parish, Denise Gallas.

Mr de Carli had been trying to break a 19-hour record for flying with balloons to raise money for a spiritual rest-stop for truckers in Paranagua, Brazil's second-largest port for agricultural products.

A video posted on the G1 website of Globo TV showed the smiling 41-year-old priest slipping into a flight suit, being strapped to a seat attached to a huge column green, red, white and yellow balloons, and soaring into the air to the cheers of a crowd.

He soared to an altitude of 6000m then descended to about 2500m for his flight to the city of Dourados, 750km northwest of his parish.

But winds pushed him out to sea and Mr de Carli was 50km off the coast when he last contacted Paranagua's port authority, Ms Gallas said.

All Howard Stern fans seem to have the same song running through their head.

26 comments

Comments:

Comment from: jeffchr [Member]

Makes me wonder, can a creationist win the Darwin award?

04/24/08 @ 12:58

Comment from: Jesus-Ernesto [Member]

Fying Nun jokes come to mind

04/24/08 @ 13:15

Comment from: alexatheist [Member]

Darwinism at work. Seriously, who but a magic believing catholic priest would be fuckwitted enough to attempt a stunt like this? Good riddance to his stupidity.

04/24/08 @ 13:37

Comment from: quantum_flux [Member]

That's what he gets for trying to steal my idea .... glad it's him and not me :)

http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/Skydiver_27s_20Ballute_20Pack#1204176514

04/24/08 @ 15:45

Comment from: uoflcard [Member]

Seriously, who but a magic believing catholic priest would be fuckwitted enough to attempt a stunt like this? Good riddance to his stupidity.

No atheist (or smart person) has ever knowingly and unnecessarily done anything dangerous and died as a result? I guess the astronauts aboard Columbia were a bunch of crazies, as well?

I understand why a lot of things are posted on this blog; I don't understand why this was, unless it was just to say, "Haha check out this dead theist."

04/24/08 @ 16:29

Comment from: Spirula [Member]

I'm sure the sharks were asking around about who's birthday it was when they looked up and saw all that meat floating down on those pretty balloons.

04/24/08 @ 16:29

Comment from: alatham [Member]

uoflcard,

I understand why a lot of things are posted on this blog; I don't understand why this was, unless it was just to say, "Haha check out this dead theist."

Agreed.

04/24/08 @ 18:08

Comment from: alatham [Member]

Jeffchr,

Catholics aren't necessarily anti-evolution.

04/24/08 @ 18:13

Comment from: Itchy [Member]

This was posted because it is VERY funny. The whole stunt concatenates the very best of religious stupidity (er, "faith")with no parachute,no harness,Look-Ma-No-Helmet and a ratty makeshift contraption. The caption underneath the photograph should read: "Defiance in the Face of Gravity." Let's construct an argument: "We don't believe in gravity. Gravity is just a theory. Gravity is junk science. Teach the controversy. Gravity is based on faith, right?"

Pure genius. Theists tend to be so uptight and in all fairness, uptight atheists can also be a pill. The priest's stunt is etched in the annals (prepubescent anals?) of Jackass Comedy. Two thumbs up!!!

Xian Trolls: Don't EVEN bother. I won't feed you. Go gnaw moodily on a sour pit.

04/24/08 @ 20:11

Comment from: GodFree&Glad [Member]

Very sad. The priest had good intentions however foolish the method to raise money was. And what's worse is that the Grand PooP is sitting on untold wealth and could so easily have built a rest stop for the truckers.

But I remember now. The Catholic Church doesn't give a damn about people in need of anything, even those starving to death. The important thing is birth control, covering up the actions of naughty priests, and hoarding their gazillions.

04/24/08 @ 20:41

Comment from: alexatheist [Member]

I think Itchy is spot on. This idiot deserves no sympathy for his reckless and stupid decision and it seems obvious to me that critical thinking and personal responsibility were obviously not this priests strong points. At least it means one less paedophile enabler in the world.

04/24/08 @ 21:24

Comment from: phreedm [Member]

uoflcard,

I understand why a lot of things are posted on this blog; I don't understand why this was, unless it was just to say, "Haha check out this dead theist."

Also agree...

This thread is in such poor taste I was surprised it wasn't posted by the "bomb thrower"...

Rather ironic it follows the thread about Bill Moore...

I'm sure the locals back then shared as much compassion for Mr. Moore as Dave has for Mr de Carli

04/24/08 @ 21:57

Comment from: alexatheist [Member]

phreedum,
Why should we have compassion for a recklessley stupid priest who obviously put little value on his own life? It's for this reason that I also have little sympathy for smokers who die of lung cancer or the sexually promiscuous who contract HIV.
I'll spell it out: P-e-r-s-o-n-a-l R-e-s-p-o-n-s-i-b-i-l-i-t-y.

04/24/08 @ 22:46

Comment from: Itchy [Member]

I stand corrected:

Mr. de Carli: "Look Jesus, no parachute!"

Johnny Knoxville of Jackass fame couldn't have pulled a better stunt...not even the one where he locks himself in a port-a-potty and lunges himself down a snowy Alpine slope.

Uptight Xian Trolls: Don't EVEN bother. I won't feed you. Go gnaw moodily on a sour pit.

04/24/08 @ 23:09

Comment from: Krystalline Apostate [Member] · http://biblioblography.blogspot.com

UFO:

No atheist (or smart person) has ever knowingly and unnecessarily done anything dangerous and died as a result?

I can only think of 1: Madalyn Murray O'Hare.
Unless you count Hitchens' chain-smoking.
People tend to be stupid as a rule, but religion (as in the example given in the post) seems to dumb them down quite a bit.

04/24/08 @ 23:09

Comment from: mxracer652 [Member]

This atheist lives for reckless and stupid activities. The adrenaline rush is fantastic.

04/24/08 @ 23:20

Comment from: alexatheist [Member]

MX,
If you end up as a paraplegic do you think it would have been worth it? I'm just asking.

04/25/08 @ 00:48

Comment from: What [Member]

I have no opinion about this thread. ;-)

04/25/08 @ 02:29

Comment from: Charlie [Member]

I think Eric will fly one day and it will be very funny.....

04/25/08 @ 07:20

Comment from: mxracer652 [Member]

Alex,
Yep. Hermetically sealed, sanitized, safety padded life isn't fun at all.

Racing is better than sex.

04/25/08 @ 10:30

Comment from: alexatheist [Member]

MX,
I agree that some level of risk is fun but I know a couple adrenaline junkies who now have spinal cord injuries and I wouldn't want that to happen to you. Be careful!

04/25/08 @ 10:36

Comment from: Augustine [Member]

This is a "test of faith". Can you pass a test of faith if you die in the attempt?

04/25/08 @ 11:45

Comment from: 3E8 [Member]

MX,

Racing better than sex? Are you a eunich or something?

Augustine,

Describe what criteria are used to 'pass' this test of faith of yours.

04/25/08 @ 12:22

Comment from: alatham [Member]

3E8,

Describe what criteria are used to 'pass' this test of faith of yours.

I'm not Augustine, but I would guess that not dying a horrible death is one of them.

04/25/08 @ 12:37

Comment from: mxracer652 [Member]

Alex,
Yep, I've had friends killed, paralyzed and crippled. I'm well aware of the consequences, I do things as intelligent as possible, but the risk is always there..

3E8,
Nope, my junk is intact, but I can tell you've never been racing ;)

04/25/08 @ 14:24

Comment from: Augustine [Member]

Thats actually really wierd to think about. How do you know when you've passed a test of faith? And how can you tell what is a test of faith from sky-daddy and whats bad luck? Is it all suppost to be a test of faith?

MX, it may be different because I run XC, but races are nowhere near sex.

04/26/08 @ 19:31

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