balloons

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Trash Balloons Caused 413 Minutes of Airport Shutdowns

South Korea releases numbers

(Newser) - So far, the trash balloons released by North Korea have proved more of a headache than a hazard for the South. But aviation data shows just what a headache they've become. Reuters cites a South Korean lawmaker who said Wednesday that runways at the country's Incheon and Gimpo...

1.5K Trash Balloons Have Descended on South Korea

Hundreds arrived with favorable winds this week

(Newser) - Flights in and out of Incheon, South Korea, were paused for hours early Wednesday when balloons presumably sent by North Korea began descending on the city's airport. More than 1,500 balloons carrying trash, excrement , dirt, worms, and "slashed 'western' clothes" have landed across the country since...

Florida Clamps Down on Balloon Releases

Bill, expected to be signed by Gov. DeSantis, would ban the practice to cut down on ocean plastic

(Newser) - The sight of a balloon sailing toward the heavens until it's little more than a speck could soon become a super rare one in Florida, where lawmakers have voted to ban the intentional release of balloons filled with any gas that's lighter than air. Under current Florida law,...

Fighter Jets Scramble Toward Balloon Over Utah

NORAD says object was a small, high-altitude balloon that doesn't pose national security threat

(Newser) - It was spy balloon deja vu on Friday, when fighter jets rushed to intercept a small high-altitude balloon in the skies over Utah, reports the Deseret News . Per a statement later that day from the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, the balloon was at between 43,000 feet...

US Opts Not to Shoot New Balloon Out of Sky

But military is watching a new mystery object that drifted over Hawaii, is now headed to Mexico

(Newser) - After a mysterious spate of balloon sightings earlier this year, a new entry has made its way into the mix. NBC News reports that the US military has been tailing a new balloon since late last week that drifted over parts of Hawaii, though officials indicate it didn't fly...

Balloons Are Now Banned in Laguna Beach, California

As of 2024, they can't be used on public property or at city events

(Newser) - Environmental advocates are celebrating in Laguna Beach—but it won't be with balloons. The hilly seaside city known for stunning ocean views and rolling bluffs is banning the sale and public use of balloons to curtail the risk of devastating wildfires and eliminate a major source of trash floating...

Now There's a 2nd Balloon, per Pentagon

This one, also said to be from China, is floating somewhere over Latin America, according to DOD

(Newser) - As a suspected Chinese spy balloon continues to make its way east above the United States, a second balloon has been spotted. On Friday, Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder noted that the new balloon, also believed to be a Chinese "surveillance" device, is currently "transiting Latin America,...

China: Let's Stay Calm About This Alleged Spy Balloon

It still hasn't confirmed the United States' allegations of the orb floating over Montana

(Newser) - The giant white object spotted drifting over Montana earlier this week is a spy balloon sent by China, at least according to the United States government. China, however, is urging everyone to take a deep breath and not pass judgment "before we have a clear understanding of the facts....

Marriage Proposal Ends in 2 Arrests, $25K in Fines

Celebratory balloons were subsequently popped, fell in ocean off Miami

(Newser) - A marriage proposal and subsequent celebration aboard a yacht in Miami has been overshadowed by the arrest of two people and more than $25,000 in fines for others involved. Their alleged crime: dumping balloons. A bystander recorded video showing dozens of balloons decorating a yacht docked at Bayshore Landing...

Child: 'Balloons!' Child #2: 'That's a Bomb!'

Israel grapples with militant tactic of sending balloons over the border

(Newser) - Merav Hania recalls the day her daughter stopped enjoying kindergarten—when balloons floated into her playground in Israel, the Washington Post reports. "Balloons!" the girl cried. But another child stopped her: "That's a bomb!" Sure enough, Emma huddled with other students inside as a police...

Cops 'Terrified' by Balloon Prank for Movie It

Creepy clown sightings expected to rise

(Newser) - Police in Lititz, Pa., give a prankster points for creativity for tying red balloons to storm grates ahead of Friday's release of the movie It—but they "respectfully request they do not do that again." "We want the local prankster to know that we were completely...

Guy Pretends He's in Up, Flies Over Canada in Balloon Chair

Daniel Boria did get arrested, though

(Newser) - Daniel Boria has either seen too many Pixar movies or he's the most ingenious marketer the other side of Niagara Falls. The Canadian wanted to advertise his cleaning-products business in the most visible way possible: by affixing more than 100 helium balloons to a lawn chair and flying over...

North Korea's Interview Threat Actually Works

Activists postpone DVD balloon airdrop

(Newser) - Almost five years ago, 46 sailors on a South Korean warship were killed in a torpedo attack that Seoul blamed on North Korea—and if North Korea doesn't officially say it's sorry for that ambush by Thursday (the fifth anniversary), an activist group will eventually fly 500,000...

America's Weirdest State Taxes

 America's Weirdest State Taxes 
in case you missed it
Apr 14, 2012 7:00 PM CDT

America's Weirdest State Taxes

Maine blueberries, New York bagels make ABC's odd-tax list

(Newser) - Federal taxes may provoke the loudest partisan bickering, but some states impose taxes that could leave you at a loss for words. Fur? Nudity? Bagels? You bet—not to mention blueberries and playing cards. ABC News rounds up a few of the weirdest:
  • Blueberries: Maine, which produces 99% of all
...

Rube Goldberg Machine Pops Balloon in 300 Steps

Purdue engineering students also pop Guinness record

(Newser) - Purdue University engineering students can't say they hate to pop our balloon. In fact their 14-person team spent about 5,000 hours building a Rube Goldberg machine designed to blow them up and pop them, Wired reports. It also makes toast, juices oranges, puts stamps on envelopes, and does...

New EU Rule: Kids Can't Blow Up Balloons

One sociologist calls it hot air

(Newser) - Blowing up balloons is now a bust for kids in the European Union. The popular activity is too dangerous for children under the age of 8 to do unsupervised because they may swallow and choke on the balloons, according to a new toy safety directive for the entire eurozone. Also...

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