oh hahaha this is hilarious.. i especially like the little boy who appears to have tossed his balloon UP into the air but it winds up on the ground… the dejected little girl is also funny.
Always remember who sold millions of U.S. jobs and thus most of our technology to the Chinese. Ronald Reagan opened the door and companies and corporations rushed to put their wealth into the Chinese basket; thus undermining the U.S. economy. When the next war comes, those companies and corporations will expect those they made unemployed to step up and die to protect their wealth; hopefully they will not and balance can be reestablished to some extent.
When I was young enough to have just learned that anything I let go of went down, my grandmother bought me a helium balloon at the fair. The next one got tied to my wrist, and I figured I still had something to learn about how things work. Still learning, over seven decades later.
now, if the Chinese had created the balloon in the shape of a dragon, released it sometime during the Chinese New year celebration and claimed it had ‘escaped’ from a parade during high winds???
Geez, people seem to think that this is some new thing going on. Back in the 60’s when I was a kid, a buddy of mine and I built a hot air balloon with a couple of strips of balsa wood and a dry cleaning bag and a few tea light candles. For those too young to know this or who don’t own any good clothes, suits and dresses came back from the cleaners in large plastic bags.
Anyway, we made our hoot air ballon and since we were going to send it up in the daytime we had the bright idea to attach long strips of aluminum foil to the balsa wood frame at the bottom, since is would reflect the sunlight so we could keep site of it longer. We lit the candles, the bag filled with hot air and our experiment took flight and drifted away. That night on the 6 o clock news was a story about how the nearby SAC base scrambled two fighter jets when our ballon showed up on their radar.
We switched from hot air ballon experiments to model rocketry after that.
Spy “flights” of all kinds happening all the time…since no one has found any credible evidence at Area 51 via all that looking, do we really think some random balloon surveillance could spot the really good stuff? Nope…good stuff out of sight unless Feds want it seen.
I’m still waiting for anybody at all to explain to me why we should get all hot and bothered over a couple of balloons — which may or may not have been spying — when China, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, India, probably Pakistan and maybe even Iran and North Korea have been observing us each and every day for the last several decades from their multiple spy satellites. Just like we’ve been doing to them. And all of them to each other. And who really gives a rip, anyway? The real fun and games are all going down behind closed doors and under roofs.
sirbadger over 1 year ago
A kid could attach a cell phone, start live stream, and let the balloon go.
Bilan over 1 year ago
Waiver? More like if it goes over Montana, you can wave it goodbye.
Say What Now‽ Premium Member over 1 year ago
Helium shouldn’t be wasted on kids toys.
franki_g over 1 year ago
He can find helium??
lalapalooza Premium Member over 1 year ago
oh hahaha this is hilarious.. i especially like the little boy who appears to have tossed his balloon UP into the air but it winds up on the ground… the dejected little girl is also funny.
Imagine over 1 year ago
Or fill them with water. More fun.
The dude from FL Premium Member over 1 year ago
So the SPY balloon, we ignore cause it’s funny? You really think China is our friend?
rekam Premium Member over 1 year ago
Did Pooh Bear have a balloon, or is that some other little bear?
keenanthelibrarian over 1 year ago
Wiley kids – love ’em.
PraiseofFolly over 1 year ago
Can’t we somehow use the hot air generated by Congress to fill such balloons?
unfair.de over 1 year ago
Use Hydrogen instead. And use some safety fuse for string.
Grandma Lea over 1 year ago
Always remember who sold millions of U.S. jobs and thus most of our technology to the Chinese. Ronald Reagan opened the door and companies and corporations rushed to put their wealth into the Chinese basket; thus undermining the U.S. economy. When the next war comes, those companies and corporations will expect those they made unemployed to step up and die to protect their wealth; hopefully they will not and balance can be reestablished to some extent.
albertonencioni over 1 year ago
https://asd.gsfc.nasa.gov/balloon/Look at the pictures of the balloons. Reminds something?
RitaGB over 1 year ago
Cute comic. But in reality, there should be a ban on this sort of toy. Releasing them at events does a lot of harm to the environment.
Count Olaf Premium Member over 1 year ago
$400,000 a pop.
NeedaChuckle Premium Member over 1 year ago
Helium is in short supply too.
Prey over 1 year ago
You know thare is a shortage of Helium – and that it is used in MRI scanners.
foolishleader over 1 year ago
I mean Helium is too precious to be used in balloons anyways. Think of the MRIs
dflak over 1 year ago
We can always make more helium: just fuse a couple of hydrogen atoms together.
Heretofore, this has been a rather explosive process. Always, “within the next 10 years,” it may be waste material from power plants.
Mainesailah Premium Member over 1 year ago
When I was young enough to have just learned that anything I let go of went down, my grandmother bought me a helium balloon at the fair. The next one got tied to my wrist, and I figured I still had something to learn about how things work. Still learning, over seven decades later.
b.john71 over 1 year ago
Mylar balloons are an enviromental disaster
Kidon Ha-Shomer over 1 year ago
now, if the Chinese had created the balloon in the shape of a dragon, released it sometime during the Chinese New year celebration and claimed it had ‘escaped’ from a parade during high winds???
Bill The Nuke over 1 year ago
Well, fewer power outages from mylar balloons this way.
Daltongang Premium Member over 1 year ago
Geez, people seem to think that this is some new thing going on. Back in the 60’s when I was a kid, a buddy of mine and I built a hot air balloon with a couple of strips of balsa wood and a dry cleaning bag and a few tea light candles. For those too young to know this or who don’t own any good clothes, suits and dresses came back from the cleaners in large plastic bags.
Anyway, we made our hoot air ballon and since we were going to send it up in the daytime we had the bright idea to attach long strips of aluminum foil to the balsa wood frame at the bottom, since is would reflect the sunlight so we could keep site of it longer. We lit the candles, the bag filled with hot air and our experiment took flight and drifted away. That night on the 6 o clock news was a story about how the nearby SAC base scrambled two fighter jets when our ballon showed up on their radar.
We switched from hot air ballon experiments to model rocketry after that.
Alexander the Good Enough over 1 year ago
Fill those balloons with CO2 and that’s exactly what they’ll do. Argon, too…
strictures over 1 year ago
Both the Chinese & Russians use hydrogen filled balloons, since they can generate the hydrogen at the launch site.
sandpiper over 1 year ago
Can’t be located near D.C. Otherwise he’d have all the swamp gas he would need.
Doug K over 1 year ago
Balloons can be useful and fun without being filled with helium.
ladykat over 1 year ago
Really??
Ancient Wise Guy over 1 year ago
This is really going to screw up the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiesta.
MollyCat over 1 year ago
Baloons are just flying trash. They all have to come down someplace.
jader3rd over 1 year ago
At first I thought that this was a joke about how we are running out of Helium and how it’s controlled by the Federal Government.
Calvins Brother over 1 year ago
…or Florida. There I said it.
mokspr Premium Member over 1 year ago
Just for giggles you could use nitrous oxide…
KEA over 1 year ago
The big problem here is unnecessary helium use – it’s rare and becoming rarer
NatureBatsLast over 1 year ago
Uh.. helium supply is getting short, save it for medical equipment. Use hydrogen for party balloons…it’ll be a blast!
Daeder over 1 year ago
Those things are going over like lead balloons!
gary.eddings4157 Premium Member over 1 year ago
Spy “flights” of all kinds happening all the time…since no one has found any credible evidence at Area 51 via all that looking, do we really think some random balloon surveillance could spot the really good stuff? Nope…good stuff out of sight unless Feds want it seen.
Richard S Russell Premium Member over 1 year ago
I’m still waiting for anybody at all to explain to me why we should get all hot and bothered over a couple of balloons — which may or may not have been spying — when China, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, India, probably Pakistan and maybe even Iran and North Korea have been observing us each and every day for the last several decades from their multiple spy satellites. Just like we’ve been doing to them. And all of them to each other. And who really gives a rip, anyway? The real fun and games are all going down behind closed doors and under roofs.
leemorse9777 over 1 year ago
Low tech way to spread the next Covid
Free Radical over 1 year ago
Whoever is still drawing cartoons about balloons obviously has theirs filled with nitrous oxide
Night-Gaunt49[Bozo is Boffo] over 1 year ago
The idiot speaks and I don’t mean Wiley.
[Unnamed Reader - e476da] over 1 year ago
About what we can expect from a bolshevik.
LeslieAnn Premium Member over 1 year ago
Wiley, those kids are so cute. Thank you.
frankito over 1 year ago
I was really hoping that there was a Chinese guy in a lawn chair under the big Chinese balloon. With an air pistol, of course.