Priest carried up by balloons missing

A Roman Catholic priest who floated off under hundreds of helium party balloons was missing off the southern coast of Brazil today.

Rescuers in helicopters and small fishing boats were searching off the coast of Santa Catarina state, where pieces of balloons were found.

Reverend Adelir Antonio de Carli lifted off from the port city of Paranagua yesterday afternoon, wearing a helmet, thermal suit and a parachute.

He was reported missing about eight hours later after losing contact with port authority officials, according to the treasurer of his Sao Cristovao parish, Denise Gallas.

Gallas said by telephone that the priest wanted to break a 19-hour record for the most hours flying with balloons to raise money for a spiritual rest-stop for truckers in Paranagua, Brazil’s second-largest port for agricultural products.

Some American adventurers have used helium balloons to emulate Larry Walters – who in 1982 rose three miles above Los Angeles in a lawn chair lifted by balloons.

A video of Carli posted on the G1 website of Globo TV showed the smiling 41-year-old priest slipping into a flight suit, being strapped to a seat attached to a huge column green, red, white and yellow balloons, and soaring into the air to the cheers of a crowd.

According to Gallas, the priest soared to an altitude of 6,000 metres then descended to about 2,500 metres for his planned flight to the city of Dourados, 750km north-west of his parish.

But winds pushed him in another direction, and Carli was some 50km off the coast when he last contacted Paranagua’s port authority, Gallas said.

Carli had a GPS device, a satellite phone, a buoyant chair and was an experienced skydiver, Gallas said.

“We are absolutely confident he will be found alive and well, floating somewhere in the ocean,” she said.

“He knew what he was doing and was fully prepared for any kind of mishap.”

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Florida is keeping their state song with a tweak or two

TALLAHASSEE – When it comes to the state song, it looks like Florida lawmakers and Floridians will still be singing the same tune. Gov. Charlie Crist won’t be humming along, however.

After spending over a year trying to come up with a new song to replace the Stephen Foster classic “Swanee River,” which had lyrics some found racist, Florida politicians are expected to keep the song but update its lyrics — if they do anything at all.

The song, also known as “Old Folks at Home,” would remain the state’s official song. As a compromise, a song chosen in a statewide contest — “Florida (Where the Sawgrass Meets the Sky)” — will be added as the state’s anthem.

Tallahassee attorney Pace Allen lobbied to keep Foster’s famous song, saying that throwing it out was “excessive.”

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