Dear France: we laugh in your face yet again.

[Mule]

I'm sure you've all heard of Project Excelsior, the high altitude parachuting experiments during which Joe Kittinger set world records for highest skydive (102,800 ft...yes kids that's nearly 19 1/2 miles) longest freefall (over 4 1/2 minutes) and fastest freefall speed (614 mph). Yes, Col. Joe Kittinger had balls of steel and was not afraid to use them:



Back in '02, a Frenchman named Fournier decided he was going to break this American's record that no one in 40 some years had broken. Millions of dollars, 8 years of research and development, and several failed attempts occur. Finally the French gov't won't let him do it in France, because splattering Frenchman across the landscape is against French law, so he travels to Canada, where those wacky Canooks will let you try anything as long as it doesn't involve a handgun or non-government controlled health care.

Last week Fournier was to attempt to break Kittinger's record in Saskatchewan...that is (and I'm not making this up) until the freaking balloon took off without him.

The skydiver wanted to break the world free fall record, but he failed to get off the ground when his balloon lifted off without him on board. His capsule failed to leave the ground because the balloon detached itself while being inflated.

So please remember this, France: Col. Joe Kittinger is now 79 years old, and he still laughs in your face.

[Medfordian Slip]

LMAO! Sounds like a Monty Python skit...

[kingdiggler]

Hows your million dollar research working out for you, you friggin dope!