Breaking News in Colorado

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Balloon lands - boy not inside!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,567041,00.html


DEVELOPING: Mystified authorities in Colorado have launched a ground search for a 6-year-old boy after the flying balloon he was believed to have been trapped in crashed without him inside.
The bizarre scene played out live on television and prompted fears that the flying saucer-shaped balloon would crash with the young child inside.
A sheriff's official said the boy climbed into a box attached to balloon, but the basket was not found at crash.


I hope he didn't fall several thousand feet to the ground. :( I hope for his sake this is either the kids lying to the police or some bizarre publicity stunt by the parents. Just so he's okay.

And if it is the parents, I hope they get fined up the ying-yang.

[TheHolo.Net]

foxnews.com should be a censored word that isn't allowed on the forums.

I wonder if I had been at work if I'd have been able to see the balloon and the helicopters following it. Looks like it passed right over the building.

[TheHolo.Net]

Local news channels here are reporting that the child is at home.

[stevenvdb]

It is tragic, either way. Hopefully the little fella just let it go ,is ok and is just hiding in fear of the aftermath...


Some illumination of the parenting style employed. Littlest is Falcon. Maybe a bit tongue-in-cheek, but an insight into the 'adventurous spirit" as it were...blargh.:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBWJXXgaYBo

[stevenvdb]

Local news channels here are reporting that the child is at home.


Thank goodness. :)

[Yog]

CNN (http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/10/15/colorado.boy.balloon/index.html#cnnSTCVideo) has some good video footage of the balloon. What is interesting, the box / basket is not visible in any of those videos.

Here is a foto with what appears to be the box hanging under the balloon at an earlier stage of the flight:
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_13568962?source=most_viewed

Apparently, those kids had a bit of an... adventurous upbringing:
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/AheadoftheCurve/richard-heenes-business-partner-kids-put-danger/story?id=8839052

[TheHolo.Net]

The Larimer County Sherif is saying he was hiding it the house's attic.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

No article yet, but they've at least got a headline saying he's at home.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33330516/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

[Yog]

Some illumination of the parenting style employed. Littlest is Falcon. Maybe a bit tongue-in-cheek, but an insight into the 'adventurous spirit" as it were...blargh.:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBWJXXgaYBo

Wow.... o_O O_o :rolleyes

Edit - apparently, the balloon family was even featured on the reality show Wife Swap, twice!

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/10/15/heene.wife.swap/


The Heene family of Fort Collins, Colorado, appeared on "Wife Swap" twice
One episode had mother trading places with wife of child-proofing business owner
That mother reportedly "shocked" by the Heene kids' behavior

[stevenvdb]

At least he is home and safe - that's all the really matters, regardless of what I may think of the family situation. (The interview of the father in which he spent the majority of the time speaking about himself rather than his little boy seriously irked me, though, and set me off a bit - unbelievable.) I couldn't imagine having to live through that nightmare, thinking my child was missing, perhaps worse.

It would be a night of a thousand kisses and perhaps a little scolding at our place upon the child's return.

EDIT:

Ahh, just saw the dad give his little sweetey a smoochie on the pooled news feed. All is well. :D

[Liam Jinn]

I would hate to play hide n seek against that kid.

[Morgan Evanar]

foxnews.com should be a censored word that isn't allowed on the forums. :lol

What a debacle!

[Rutabaga]

LOL :lol

BTW, I thought this was a totally overplayed and overhyped story. It's one of the reasons why I hate the 24 hour news cycle so much.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Of course, it keeps going too now that the media are trying to say it could be a hoax. Honestly, they should just let the story fade away.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Must have been a quiet day in world news yesterday...

[Yog]

Of course, it keeps going too now that the media are trying to say it could be a hoax. Honestly, they should just let the story fade away.
Actually, that is the more interesting part of the story. Why? Well, because more than likely, it was a hoax. Colorado police is now about to file charges (http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/10/17/colorado.balloon.boy/index.html). Remember, this is a family with a long history of doing publicity stunts, and there are so many warning lights indicating that is exactly what this is.

Just look at the balloon takeoff (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/33342538#33342538) for example. Does it look like there is a person inside? Of course not. Anyone inside would suffocate of the helium, and there is no trace of movement, carried weight, or even a way to get inside. The balloon is completely sealed. In order to lift a 30 kilo heavy kid, you need at least 30,000 liters of helium (1 liter per gram). The balloon has much less than that. You can see the way the balloon is slowly lifting and the crumpled shape of the balloon, there is it is not nearly enough helium. Once the balloon is in the air, you can see the end of the tow lines. There is no box or basket hanging from it. No sign of it on the ground either. They probably made that part up.

Then there is the 911 call. How many of us would just hang up the phone when someone says their kid is inside a 'flying saucer'? Gotta admire the patience of the operator who basically has to drag out that this is in fact not a flying saucer or even a mechanical device, but helium balloon that looks like a flying saucer.

Then there is the kid saying in front of news channels, "we did it for the show". Hate to say it, but this is probably a hoax.

[Rutabaga]

I'm one of those people who believe this was a hoax or publicity stunt of some kind, no matter how much the father protests. From what I've read, they're basically reality show junkies, and even prior to this, the parents had already made inquiries to different production companies and to TLC in an attempt to whore out a reality show about themselves.

I've also heard that this family was not very nice or interesting when they were on Wife Swap. Apparently they were rude and nasty, plus all 3 of the boys (including Falcon) regularly flipped off the camera and swore like pint-sized sailors.

As for the video of the supposed "accidental" lauching, it really does raise a lot of questions, including the ones you raised, Yog. Plus to me, it didn't come across as all that accidental.

Now if this family DOES score a reality show, I'll be mighty pissed off. I hate the whole "reality show" genre in general anyways, I'm just so sick and tired of people being rewarded for bad behavior and/or becoming famous for NOTHING.

[Yog]

^^ you're absolutely right, but wait, it gets better:

Balloon boy's father 'planned weather balloon UFO stunt' (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6364397/Balloon-boys-father-planned-weather-balloon-UFO-stunt.html)


The father of "balloon boy" Falcon Heene had previously discussed a plan to fake a UFO sighting using a weather balloon, a former friend has claimed.

Richard Heene was so obsessed with kick-starting his reality television career that he devised an alien hoax that would be "bigger than Roswell", according to a confidant.

Robert Thomas, a fellow science enthusiast and former business associate of Mr Heene, sold his story to the gossip website Gawker as police prepare to charge members of the Heene family over the runaway balloon flight that gripped the US on Thursday.

America was captivated after six-year-old Falcon vanished on an experimental, flying saucer-shaped balloon his father had built in his yard. The boy was found five hours after it took off hiding in his parents' garage in Fort Collins, Colorado, sparking claims that it was all an elaborate stunt.

Mr Thomas described Mr Heene as "driven by ego and fame", saying that their shared ambition of creating a television series based around madcap science experiments went awry as the father-of-three's ideas became "extreme and paranoid".

He told Gawker: "Richard said, 'how much do you want to bet we could facilitate some sort of a media stunt that would be equally profound as Roswell, and we could do so with nothing more than a weather balloon and some controversy?'"

A television show pitch allegedly composed by Mr Thomas based on ideas brainstormed by Mr Heene suggested releasing a homemade, electrically-charged flying saucer to attract other UFOs.

"We will capture the footage on film, and will utilize the media as a means with which to make our presence known to the masses," it read.

"This will not only provide us with incredible footage, but will also generate a tremendous amount of controversy among the public, as well as publicity within the mainstream media."

"This will be the most significant UFO-related news event to take place since the Roswell Crash of 1947, and the result will be a dramatic increase in local and national awareness about The Heene Family, our Reality Series, as well as the UFO Phenomenon in general."

Mr Thomas also denied that Falcon could have climbed into the garage loft where he was eventually discovered without the assistance of an adult.

Yesterday it emerged that Mr Heene called a TV news station that had a helicopter before contacting emergency services after the boy "drifted off" in the balloon. He has denied that the alert was a hoax.

I hope they get a big fine for wasting emergency rescue workers and police' time and resources, including a bill for the helicopters, shutting down Denver airport etc.

[Yog]

.. also, in case there is any doubt. This guy is utterly and certifiable insane:

Proof Life on Mars Alien in NASA Rover Photo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-6S0OMkiTE)


THAT LOOKS LIKE A HEAD!!

THAT'S A BONE! IT'S ABONE!! A BONE!!!

What a fruitcake. :lol

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Oh this is just getting better and better!

Looks like he's gonna be charged with false report, conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and attempting to influence a public official. Uh oh!!

And it seems too that questions are being raised as to whether the kid was drugged during the interview he spent puking.


edit - domestic violence too!

[Rutabaga]

Yup, officially declared a hoax now. Color me surprised :mischief.

About the possible drugging allegation...dunno if I want to go that far. BUT I found it odd that he puked on not one but TWO live interviews. If he really was ill, I was questioning why the parents were having him on TV in the first place. But on the other hand, I couldn't help but be suspicious that having him puke on TV might have been some odd ploy for sympathy.

All in all, what a sad, sorry spectacle. And as usual, the mainstream media fell for it. Further proof that "news" is now more entertainment than anything else. There's an old saying about dangling shiny objects in front of people to get them to watch, and now this was a literal shiny object.

:grumble

What a joke.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

ok, so everything was dropped except for false reporting it looks like. Too bad, since the guy deserves to have more than that thrown at him in my opinion.

[Rutabaga]

I wish they'd make them pay for the cost of the "rescue operation." I mean, flights were rerouted around the Denver airport, for Christ's sake. :shakefist

[Yog]

ok, so everything was dropped except for false reporting it looks like.
Wow, I did not expect that.

They probably had the poor kids in mind. Now, they won't have their dad thrown into jail, plus he never got any criminal record before that, so that is probably why they let him off the hook so easy. He dodged the bullet this time. That being said, I would at least expect him to pay some for all the trouble he caused.



Too bad, since the guy deserves to have more than that thrown at him in my opinion.
I agree.



I wish they'd make them pay for the cost of the "rescue operation." I mean, flights were rerouted around the Denver airport, for Christ's sake. :shakefist
Yeah, he probably caused flight delays worth hundreds of thousand dollars too.

[Callista]

I was all excited to hear my home away from home was on the radio here in MI that day; then was worried about the boy and now I'm just disgusted at this family all together. I really hope they get fined.

[Jedi Master Carr]

There is now talk that a media outlet was involved in the hoax. I wonder who?

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Made me giggle :)

<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7vbGp8Dna2Y&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7vbGp8Dna2Y&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>

[Dasquian Belargic]

Queen Elizabeth finds boys balloon!! :eek

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/beds/bucks/herts/8310816.stm

(...okay this is a different story but its cute :lol)


A five-year-old boy from Buckinghamshire received a personal message from the Queen after she found a balloon he had released.

Charlie Castle was one of about 50 schoolchildren who released balloons during an end-of-term farewell at his school near High Wycombe in July.

The Queen came across it about 14 miles away, in the grounds of Windsor Castle.

A letter from Buckingham Palace to Charlie said the Queen was "so happy it was your balloon she found".

[Droo]

Yeah, I saw that story about the Queen too, it's very cute. Good one, ma'am!

[Charlotte Tur'enne]

MUCH better story. :eee

I wouldn't mind that kid being on the news here! Can we borrow him? :lol

[Dasquian Belargic]

There was an adorable picture of the boy in one of the newspapers here, grinning, with his balloon in hand :3

Actually there is a little audio clip on that BBC article. The kid is all "...well it didn't go as far as Buckingham Palace, but it did go to Windsor Castle!"

[Rutabaga]

Aw, what a sweet story! :eee

[Yog]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iC6jwbmzuVUF4YLJVJo5CPNtOLxQD9CP97DG0


FORT COLLINS, Colo. — The parents who pulled the balloon boy hoax in hopes of landing a reality TV show were sentenced to jail Wednesday — 90 days for him, 20 days for her — and barred from profiting from their newfound celebrity status for the next four years.
Looks like there will be jail time instead of reality show for the Heene's. :p

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

I had a dream the other night that one of the Heene kids was tearing out pages of my sketchbook. I was so angry after I woke up that I couldn't go back to sleep.

[Shadow Storm]

Note to Charley: Never go through and tear out pages of s'Il's sketchbooks.