Brazil air force halts search for priest

From The Associated Press:

SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) -- Brazil's air force on Thursday suspended its search for a Roman Catholic priest who vanished after sailing into the air under a cluster of colorful balloons. The cleric's family chartered a private plane to continue the hunt.

The Rev. Adelir Antonio de Carli has been missing since Sunday, when he lifted off from the port city of Paranagua strapped to 1,000 balloons and wearing a helmet, an aluminum thermal flight suit, waterproof coveralls and a parachute.

(full story)

Parents didn't expect daughter to die during prayer

From AP via Chicago Tribune:

WESTON, Wis. - The mother of an 11-year-old girl who died of untreated diabetes said Wednesday that she did not know her daughter was terminally ill as she prayed for her to get better.

Madeline Neumann died Sunday from an undiagnosed and treatable form of diabetes.

Her mother, Leilani Neumann, told The Associated Press she never expected her daughter, whom she called Kara, to die. The family believes in the Bible, and it says healing comes from God, but they are not crazy, religious people and they have nothing against doctors, she said.

The girl's father, Dale Neumann, a former police officer, said he has friends who are doctors. He started CPR "as soon as the breath of life left" his daughter's body, he said

(Full Article)

How precious the life of a sweet young girl; how tragic it was squandered for ignorance and superstition.

Perhaps the next time one of your kids gets sick, you should seek medical attention promptly?

Five dead after car crashes off end of private airstrip

From CNN.COM:

(CNN) -- Five young men died Saturday when the car they were in drove off the end of a private airstrip near Ocala, Florida, became airborne for 200 feet and slammed into an oak tree, authorities said.

"This had to be the worst vehicle crash that I have ever seen during my career," said Randy Robinson, a spokesman for the Emergency Medical Services Alliance with 27 years on the job.

The 2008 BMW was split in two in the wreck, which happened at 3:45 a.m., said Lt. Mike Burroughs, a spokesman for the Florida Highway Patrol Troop B.

He told CNN the victims -- 18 to 20 years old and all from the area -- were declared dead at the scene.

Burroughs said it was not clear how the car got onto the private Greystone community airstrip -- the same one actor John Travolta uses for his aircraft -- but the car was driving north on Runway 36, which is 1.5 miles long.

"It is evident that the driver of the vehicle saw he was approaching the end of the runway," Burroughs said. "He attempted a braking maneuver and the vehicle slid sideways off the end of the runway."

The car flew through the air for 200 feet, he said, and struck an oak tree 15 feet off the ground, splitting the vehicle in two.

(full article)

Looks like these geniuses either thought their BMW could fly or tried to break the BMW land speed record not thinking about the minor matter of stopping distance. It safe to say they won't make that mistake again; nor will their progeny.

Note that this airpark has one runway (18/36 running roughly north/south). End-to-end, the pavement is a little over 7500' in length; though the threshold to threshold is 3800'.

Evangelist drowns trying to walk on water

This one is old news but it's so incredibly stupid as to be worth being the first posting on this blog.

Pastor reportedly told congregation he could repeat miracle of Jesus

An evangelist who tried replicating Jesus' miracle of walking on water has reportedly drowned off the western coast of Africa.

Pastor Franck Kabele, 35, told his congregation he could repeat the biblical miracle, and he attempted it from a beach in Gabon's capital of Libreville.

"He told churchgoers he'd had a revelation that if he had enough faith, he could walk on water like Jesus," an eyewitness told the Glasgow Daily Record.

"He took his congregation to the beach saying he would walk across the Komo estuary, which takes 20 minutes by boat. He walked into the water, which soon passed over his head and he never came back."

(full article)

A Special Kind of Stupid

This blog will highlight things people do that can only be described as exceptionally stupid.