and i was running out of ballast. >> ballast is any weight that improves an aircraft stability.ouch prefers to use water. >> he gets down too low then he drops water out so he can go back up. then when he gets too high, he pops a couple balloons to come back down. running out of ballast is the end of the ride in terms of his ability to control his altitude. each time it kind of made things a little better just learning from the previous flight. >> i started using a pilot's parachute, which is nice and comfortable. we had more balloons, more ballast, we got more security and more safety, better communication between the ground crew. >> july 5, 2008. kent couch attempts to fly from bend, oregon, to boise, idaho, and break his record of 193 miles traveled in a cluster balloon. >> on launch day, we got to be up at 3:30 in the morning. >> it's usually between 50 to 70 volunteers that make this thing work. we'd normally have four or six helium stations. each station has four people on it with a different role. >> it takes a minute or two to blow up one balloon. we don't want to blow t

increase in the supply of gold that the way gold is dispersed in the earth and the limitations of mining ballast with the increase in technology and the population growth has kept the supply constant at one point eight percent. yearly versus the dollar supply increases which have been all over the place and at a higher rate than population growth and new wealth creation so he said gold had better adhere to milton friedman's k. rule that money supply should increase at a constant amount each year to control inflation according to him i made a comment about mother nature and supply and demand as a claim i didn't it was tongue in cheek to paraphrase the gas and get into a follow up question with him and i just keep seeing it taken out of context which i'm just sick of and just for the record if mike wants to misconstrue my comments and continue making ad hominem attacks to make the case that i'm stupid i don't really think that's the strongest way to do so i don't really think that's a strong argument but if you really ask me what's working against him is this. i love being on the show lauren and y

the ballast planned and cut spending in a responsible way that would also ask the wealthiest americans to pay a little more. i still want to get this done. it is the right thing to do for families, our businesses, and our entire economy. but the allure for immediate action is here. -- hour for immediate action is here. in just a four days, every american's tax rates are scheduled to go up by law. every american's paycheck will get considerably smaller. that would be the wrong thing to do for our economy. it would be bad for middle-class families, and it would be bad for businesses that depend on family spending. fortunately, congress can prevent it from happening if the act right now. i just had a good and constructive discussion here in the white house with senate and house leadership about how to prevent the tax hike on the middle class. i'm optimistic we may still be able to reach an agreement that can pass both houses in time. senators reid and mcconnell are working on such an agreement as we speak. but if an agreement is not reached in time, between senator reid and senator mcconn

to retrieve them and conclude ballastically that they came from a weapon. i think they have a lot of work to do yet. they are still going to go out -- even though they realize that his mom legally acquired the weapons, they are going to find out where she acquired them as well as how she was able to get the weapons from the house in which he resided. we are all working from the premise that she hadn't properly secured them. she may have especially with the fact that he had a personality disorder. the investigation will further tell us if he beat her up, forcing her to surrender these weapons. there's a lot of information that has to be tied together yet. >> debra freyrick has a question for you. >> why do you think that nancy lanza would need a gun in that tight-knit, middle-income of a flew went community? why the need for a gun? >> well, quite candidly, all she'd have to do is watch the news where we have a concern about taking your child to the movie theater or shopping mall or sending them to a school or university. any one of these denominators could p

. >> so i think the next flight i'm sure i'm going to get enough balloons and ballast to go to 25,000 feet. and then see if i can stay out overnight, i could maybe break my old record and go farther. maybe i could go 500 miles. >> luckily, cluster ballooning is a rare pastime. these homemade aircraft require skill and training to operate safely, as well as a fair amount of luck. i'm contessa brewer. that's all for this edition of "caught on camera." >>> if you think the workplace is an uneventful, ho-hum place to be, think again. >> it's my birthday, and i'm taking a bath in the sink at burger king. >> in today's workplace anything can happen. situations ranging from bizarre to life threatening. >> i couldn't believe it. nobody's ever, you know, survived, getting sucked into a jet engine. >> when the pressure's on, there's just no telling how people will react. and now cameras are everywhere recording some moments employees want to remember. >> if you're traveling with more than one child, now is a good time to pick your favorite. >> and some moments they'd rather forget. >> excuse me

not, unfortunately, establish the -- what we passed in the house, a uniform national stapped for ballastater discharges. that provision is supported by many in the house and by the u.s. and international maritime industry. we have done a good part of the job. i think we met our responsibility. i am pleased that we are here to authorize for a period of two years the united states coast guard. its operations and its programs, and support the men and women who support us. with that i urge the passage of h.r. 2838, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from washington. mr. larsen: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. larsen: i rise in support of the resolution introduced by my colleague from new jersey and chairman of the subcommittee, mr. lobiondo. before i begin my remarks, i want to join mr. mica and of course many others in offering my condolences to the entire coast guard family for the tragic loss of one of their shape mates during

we've got to do this i ballast, responsible way and if we're going to be serious, then it will have to be a matter of shared sacrifice. as long as i'm president. and i will be present for the next four years. [applause] any way -- for now, our most immediate priority is to stop taxes going up for middle-class families starting tomorrow. i think that is a modest goal that we can accomplish. democrat and republicans in congress have to get this done but they're not there yet. they are close but they are not there yet. one thing we can count on with respect to this congress is that if there is even one second left before you have to do what you are supposed to do, they will use that last second. @ -- as of this point, it looks like i will spend new year's here in d.c. you all will be hanging out in d.c., too. i can come to your house? [laughter] i don't want to spoil the party. the people who are with me here today, people watching at home, they need our leaders in congress to all stay focused on them, not on politics, not on special interests -- they need to be focused on families, stude

i've heard a lot about a ballast burton for the election, but have not heard anything about it lately. it is all about taxes. i believe people paying their fair share. i believe everyone should pay their fair share, including myself. if i have to tighten up my budget and pay a little more, i am willing to do that to see that this problem starts getting solved. i would like to hear a little bit more about some spending cuts, which has gotten us into debt right now. i think everyone in every way bracket should pay a little bit more, so we do not have to hear all about these tax cuts anymore. let's get on with a real problem, which is out of control spending in washington. host: appreciate the call. you can see a live shot in the capitol. we will look to see if anybody speaks to reporters. you can see some other reporters gathering. we continue to get your calls. one of our tweets on the web page describes it as the "thelma and louise" with on monday night. you are on the air. caller: yes, thank you. i will be 77 years old on january 26, and my back is bad. i have high blood pressure. i