Comments on: Real Danny Deckchairs

Real Danny Deckchairs

Susurration — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 21:40:34 -0800

While the Darwin awards look away ... cluster ballooning is taking off. More and more people are taking to the sky with a cluster of helium balloons and a lawn chair.

By: Guy Smiley

Guy Smiley — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 22:05:44 -0800

Flying Priest Found Dead in the Atlantic.

By: Krrrlson

Krrrlson — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 22:10:58 -0800

Yeah, I thought this was going to be about the dead priest.

By: Tube

Tube — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 22:12:48 -0800

After spilling off some cherry-flavored Kool-Aid that served as ballast, Couch got a push from the ground crew so he could clear light poles and soared over a coffee cart and across U.S. Highway 20 into a bright blue sky. How did he get all that Kool-Aid through security?

By: Guy Smiley

Guy Smiley — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 23:38:27 -0800

(PS - if we assume that Father de Carli took his vow of abstinence seriously [and as far as I know, we have no reason not to], this is not, strictly speaking, a case for the Darwin Awards.)

By: jimmythefish

jimmythefish — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:21:18 -0800

Pepsi B'lu(n)e.

By: jeffburdges

jeffburdges — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 03:06:05 -0800

Wow! People are really taking the piss out of that priest. Well, people cracked jokes when Bozo died too, maybe it's appropriate.

By: stargell

stargell — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 06:44:34 -0800

I love the fact that the first guy, in '82, used a BB gun to pop the balloons and come down—just as he'd planned it.

By: PeterMcDermott

PeterMcDermott — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 06:49:15 -0800

People are really taking the piss out of that priest. The guy's last message was (I paraphrase) 'can someone quickly teach me how to use this GPS? Otherwise I'm fucked.' Now I'm not prone to mocking the clergy (ok, I am really) but the time to learn how to use your sole piece of lifesaving emergency equipment is NOT at the point at which the emergency actually kicks in.

By: weapons-grade pandemonium

weapons-grade pandemonium — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 06:54:32 -0800

MetaFilter: We're not prone to mocking the clergy (ok, we are really).

By: Brockles

Brockles — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 07:17:16 -0800

I started to wince at the harshness of that article until I read the line about the request for GPS assistance, too. At that stage, he deserves everything he gets. I think it's irrelevant he is 'clergy', the guy was too stupid to be able to learn operate the thing that would have saved his life.

By: rlk

rlk — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 08:09:11 -0800

The More link leads to quite a collection of disturbing hot-air balloon disaster videos. And also this very charming hot-air ballon disaster video.

By: recoveringsophist

recoveringsophist — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 08:31:33 -0800

Danny also inspired our favorite patriarch (sorry, not clergy).

By: adipocere

adipocere — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 10:35:42 -0800

God 0, Evolution 1. I like comparing the early articles about the priest Adelir Antonio de Carli, with the later truth. The treasurer of his Sao Cristovao parish, Denise Gallas, said "We are absolutely confident he will be found alive and well, floating somewhere in the ocean." and "He knew what he was doing and was fully prepared for any kind of mishap." Prepared, right. I'm sure he had faith in God that it would work out. I can only imagine the post-demise conversation he'd have with God: GOD: "Welcome to Heaven, yada yada yada, I'm sure you have a lot of questions about your troubles on earth, uhhh, when you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you." PRIEST: *looks down at the ocean near his corpse* "Uh, God ... there's no footprints." GOD: "It's the sea, moron." PRIEST: "Yeah, but what about the walking on water bit?" GOD: "Okay, one, that was my Son, not me. Two, no footprints - no good press. Three, you want I should be everywhere? Four, that GPS came with instructions, you can maybe crack another book once in a while." *licks finger and draws an invisible mark in the air*

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 12:26:28 -0800

And also this very charming hot-air ballon disaster video. Now that's how you handle yourself when you're going down. Note to self: turn Scottish.

By: Brockles

Brockles — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 12:53:40 -0800

Yeah, it amused me that the only alternative crash site that bothered him was the water, but only because he'd damage his camera..

By: BitterOldPunk

BitterOldPunk — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 15:13:09 -0800

Cloudhopping, which I'd never heard of before reading the first link, sounds fun as hell. I'd do that tomorrow if I could.

By: It's Raining Florence Henderson

It's Raining Florence Henderson — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 07:55:58 -0800

More and more people are taking to the sky with a cluster of helium balloons and a lawn chair. And every new meeting of the Mile High Club is an automatic cluster fuck.

By: MiltonRandKalman

MiltonRandKalman — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:49:40 -0800

My suggestion for an appropriate burial outfit for our dear-departed priest.