Gone With the Wind

Did you hear about the priest who tried to set a record for balloon powered flight? This might come as a huge surprise to you: He’s missing.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7360416.stm

When I first heard about the incident I figured it was some sort of fund raising stunt to feed the poor. That would have been noble albeit dangerous. But apparently there was no fund raising involved. The priest just wanted to hold the record for balloon riding.

This got me wondering what sort or world record attempt by a priest would piss off God the most. From The Almighty’s perspective, any diversion from the core mission of saving souls is probably time poorly spent. But some types of record attempts have to be worse than others. For example, you don’t want to see your priest winning any kind of pie eating contest. And you don’t want a man of the cloth to hold any titles involving nudity, tequila, or self-gratification, just to name a few. The best a priest could hope for in those cases is that God is busy and doesn’t notice.

But a balloon ride, way up there next to heaven? That’s total smite bait.

Comments

[Joe Price]

Were I a Catholic reading this story, my reaction would have to be relief. Finally! Some of the heat off the altar boy diddling and on the much more relevant issue of balloon travel.

How long before the Pope has a balloon fixed with Plexiglas?

[Jay]

He SO was trying raise funds! Look:

"He was trying to raise funds to provide a rest stop for lorry drivers in Paranagua, a major port for agricultural products."

Ooooo!!! Scotty was wrong! Let me point it out and it will show that I am better than him.....my life has been given meaning... I AM VALIDATED!!!

[Rigel Kent]

True, but I think holding the record for most babies eaten would probably be worse. Of course I could be wrong.

[Adam]

In unrelated news, Cracked has begun a mission to fill Dilbert cartoons with dick jokes. Which is kinda funny, 'cause we all know how much you like dick jokes.

Here's the link:

http://www.cracked.com/blog/2008/04/23/help-me-ruin-dilbert/#more-1178

[Tek Gremlin]

According to the link I would say it was pretty selfless act.

"He was trying to raise funds to provide a rest stop for lorry drivers in Paranagua, a major port for agricultural products"

I wonder if he broke the record?

[R J Woodward]

Scott, I believe that you have failed to read the article properly. The following appears as the last paragraph before the first sub-heading:
"He was trying to raise funds to provide a rest stop for lorry drivers in Paranagua, a major port for agricultural products."
So he was doing it for reasons other than self-aggrandisement.

[Luiz Pizzato]

Scott,
you might already received a few of this by some Brazilians around the world that read you blog. Actually the priest stunt was meant to be fund raising for the construction of a support structure (or support group) for truck drivers that arrive in the harbour of Paranaguá, the city where the priest lift off. Needless to say that he enjoyed this kind of things, and I bet he used the fund-raising event just to do a cool thing. A funny but not surprising fact, that just got to the media in Brazil, is that he was expel from a paragliding course. Apparently he did not want to learn any theory and just wanted to fly.

Isn't stubbornness one of the deadly sins?

[Peter G.]

Looks like we missed the Rapture.

. png

[Lertad]

But Scott, in that same link you gave it says he "was trying to raise funds to provide a rest stop for lorry drivers in Paranagua, a major port for agricultural products."...

[Thing]

I heard he was actually raising funds for some kind of trucker thing. If he hadn't blown out to sea, he was reasonably well equipped. He had a parachute and should have jumped at the coast.

[Cassandra]

New web site. Color. "We care about what you think."

Bwahahahaha.

I don't care about what your readers pick as most popular because I have read their comments and they don't understand you.

I do wish it was easier to find yesterday's comic strip if i missed it.

As for giving you my real email address, the last time I did that it ruined a perfectly good mailbox that was totally unknown to spammers until then.

Just call me cassandra@yeahright.com because I know you won't listen to me.

[James]

According to the news article, he was trying to raise funds to provide a rest stop for lorry drivers in Paranagua.

[aahhrrgg]

Actually Scott, it was a fundraiser. 'The priest hoped his flight would help raise money for a center where truck drivers could stop "to rest and receive the gospel,' (Toronto Star) Not that we need any more gospel spreading, but you do tend to rush into these posts.

[ShakeAndBake]

At this point, any Holy Man who has a hobby that does not involve telling his flock that the US Government invented AIDS to kill them is fine with me.

Which reminds me -- that whole thing was a Scott Adams anti-religion post waiting to happen. You skipped it entirely. I wonder why?

[Taylor]

Five paragraphs into the article: "He was trying to raise funds to provide a rest stop for lorry drivers in Paranagua, a major port for agricultural products."

[Will]

Scott Adams wrote: "When I first heard about the incident I figured it was some sort of fund raising stunt to feed the poor. That would have been noble albeit dangerous. But apparently there was no fund raising involved. The priest just wanted to hold the record for balloon riding."
------------

Geez, Scott not only do you not read the comments to your blog, nor did you pay attention during high school science classes, AND you don't read the articles that you link to.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7360416.stm

"He wanted to break a 19-hour record for the most hours flying with balloons.

He was trying to raise funds to provide a rest stop for lorry drivers in Paranagua, a major port for agricultural products."

The article really isn't that long. Next you will tell us that when you said "no fund raising", you meant something other than he wasn't "trying to raise funds".

[CH]

But he was fundraising, for lorry drivers. Maybe God doesn't like carbon emissions?

[Kate the great]

From the article:
"He was trying to raise funds to provide a rest stop for lorry drivers in Paranagua, a major port for agricultural products."

[Nestor]

The way I read it, it was a fund raiser, he'd even done it before. It's sad and hilarious at the same time.

[John Reedy]

If it had been possible, I bet they would have taken a balloon to heaven instead of building the tower of babel.

http://awritersblock.com

[John Reedy]

If it'd been possible I bet they would have taken a balloon ride to heaven instead of building the tower of babel.

[Roger Williams]

I actually thought it was a joke the first half dozen times it was on TV or mentioned somewhere.

I have never been certain about much. But I am certain that no one else knows anything either. Especially as it relates to the presence of a combined one size fits all God. I didn't buy it. Organized religions and even those not so organized have sometimes not so friendly but always intense competition for market share. Some religions like to have 17 wives. Some religions want to wait until they die and ravish the 14 vestal virgins awaiting them for blowing up infidels. (Does that mean Castos' wives parents are on God's list to smite down?)

Being a scientist at Van DeLay industries and having spent liteally seconds thinking about the issue of God and PROOF of his existence of any kind. Undeniable proof I am talking.

Selma Hayek. Case Closed. There is a God. How else do you explain all these women who are married to wierd stressed out stupid people as ourselves.

What did this bring to the table.

It is now also an undeniable fact that God is Funny.

I am sorry. Really. But what are the current odds on whether he is shot down, hit by a bolt of ligtening, or simply succumbs to gravity?

So. Now we know. 1) There is a GOD, all I know about him is that he knows exactly how to make women.
and 2) He has a sense of humor.

That is enough for me. Lets party. Anyone got balloons?

[Bob]

That is a funny story Scott. I knew about Lawn Chair Larry, who did the balloon thing in his lawnchair, but this beats it. It makes it even funnier that it is a priest, who'd a thunk it

[mandarina]

Hi! I'm from Argentina, our country is next to Brazil, so this is ALL over the news. Specially because last time he did it, he came down onto our country... but we never really new about him till now.
Whatever.. The thing is that, in here, media says that he was raising some money for a foundation, although no-one said which one it was for, which makes it kinda suspicious...
If he was raising money, poor guy; if he wasn't, but was doing it for free, for entertaining, poor kinda silly guy; if he was just 'earning' some money, ... I don't know what to say, but it wouldn't be 'poor guy'.

Regards

[keelerm]

From the article you linked to :

"He was trying to raise funds to provide a rest stop for lorry drivers in Paranagua, a major port for agricultural products."

I think your premise is flawed. Not quite as noble as raising funds for the poor, but still funds.