DANGER RANTBURGERS
CALL NORAD
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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Geostationary Banana Over Texas |
| 2007-01-08 |
| Canadians pay money for Argentinians to launch giant bananas at the US from Mexico. I was tempted to file it under "Signs and Portents". The French gave us the Statute of Liberty, Mexico sort of gave us Texas and now Canada wants to give us a giant helium-filled yellow banana. More specifically, Montreal artist Cesar Saez hopes to send a 1,000-foot long banana dirigible into the southern sky next year to make giant loops over the Lone Star State. If all goes well, the giant bamboo and paper banana will be launched from a site in Mexico in summer 2008 and drift eastward over Texas before it disintegrates. Even at a stratospheric altitude of 20 miles, the yellow fruit will be visible to earthbound Texans, said Saez, who has raised about a fifth of the estimated $1 million he needs for the project. Some very practical people, including the Canada Council for the Arts, which contributed $15,000, are taking him at his word. "There's no question this is a serious artistic project," said Donna Balkan, a spokeswoman for the national arts organization. Serious military project, is what she means. Consider the possibilities of a giant banana as a weapons platform. And, as usual, our leaders are asleep at the switch: After several hours of consultation and review, a spokesman for Gov. Rick Perry released a cryptic statement. "If it works, people will probably go ape over it. We have to be careful, though, because putting bananas in orbit could create a slippery situation," Robert Black said. More at the link, and snark and half-assed research at my blog. Giant banana project site here. |
| Posted by:Angie Schultz |
| #13 bamboo and paper frame...$1 million. Guess he's trumped the Nigerian email scams... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2007-01-08 20:09 |
| #12 Maybe a certain appeal, ed, but think of the slippery slope it starts. Mewonders if the lettuce ladies will get involved too? |
| Posted by: BA 2007-01-08 20:03 |
| #11 This has a certain appeal. |
| Posted by: ed 2007-01-08 19:37 |
| #10 *Rimshot* |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2007-01-08 18:16 |
| #9 "Are you happy to see me or is that a banana in your horizon?" |
| Posted by: USN, Ret. 2007-01-08 14:48 |
| #8 Is this just a clever new way to smuggle in more mexicans? Some tracer rounds from a F-22 could end that little party very quickly. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2007-01-08 08:26 |
| #7 Geostationary: sometimes called geosynchronous - a characteristic of a satellite orbit in which the satellite circles the globe, over the equator, in synchronization with the earth's rotation. When did they move Texas to the equator? And isn't 20 miles kinda low for a geosynchronous orbit? I can think of a lot of terms to describe this project, but "Geostaionary" ain't one of 'em. |
| Posted by: GK 2007-01-08 08:00 |
| #6 Guardsmen overrun at the Border, 12 News Jan. 4, 2007 02:44 PM A U.S. Border Patrol entry Identification Team site was overrun Wednesday night along Arizona's border with Mexico. According to the Border Patrol, an unknown number of gunmen attacked the site in the state's West Desert Region around 11 p.m. The site is manned by National Guardsmen. Those guardsmen were forced to retreat. The Border Patrol will not say whether shots were fired. However, no Guardsmen were injured in the incident. The Border Patrol says the incident occurred somewhere along the 120 mile section of the border between Nogales and Lukeville. The area is known as a drug corridor. Last year, 124-thousand pounds of illegal drugs were confiscated in this area. The Border patrol says the attackers quickly retreated back into Mexico. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2007-01-08 04:52 |
| #5 DANGER RANTBURGERS CALL NORAD |
| Posted by: RD 2007-01-08 04:34 |
| #4 I hope they launch the banana just before next deer season so everyone can get in some free target practice. |
| Posted by: Ron Mitchell 2007-01-08 02:29 |
| #3 OTOH, "Before it disintegrates" - as a person living in the tropical Pacific, as horrible a sight as PAULA "DELILAH/BATHSHEBA" ABDUL kicking a tropical plant = coconut. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2007-01-08 01:15 |
| #2 DEFENSETECH.org > US Navy is serious about dev OTH hi-tech Dirigibles for Sea Control and GMD, including anti-Cruise Missle + anti-FBM/ICBM detection and fire control. Dirigibles > some will follow Cold War-style, 24-7-365 local DEFENSIVE rotation patterns ala B52's/SAC bombers, others will flank + follow USN task forces, and others will be independent routings. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2007-01-08 01:08 |
| #1 More "art". God forbid that anyone denounce this is the crap that it is, lest we be labeled as redneck philistines. |
| Posted by: gromky 2007-01-08 01:08 |