'Killer' pun in NBC news coverage about the U.S. national helium gas reserve (Page 1/1)
rinselberg FEB 09, 10:12 AM

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For more than a year, the fate of the Federal Helium Reserve, one of the world’s largest and most dependable suppliers of helium, has been uncertain.

The mammoth underground structure is comprised of nearly 500 miles of pipeline — stretching from Amarillo, Texas, to the panhandle of Oklahoma to Kansas — and supplies roughly 40% of the world’s helium.

“It was supposed to be sold off by 2021,” said Sophia Hayes, a professor of chemistry at Washington University in St. Louis and one of the nation’s leading helium experts. “But for the past year, it’s been silent.”

For the better part of a decade, scientists like Hayes have urged government officials to hold on to the reserve, instead of selling it to a private entity . . .

Last week, a government-issued helium bulletin inflated their hopes that the United States may be thinking harder about helium. . . .


Inflated..! Get it? Like inflating a balloon with helium! OMG! OMG! I feel like I've been breathing helium since arising, instead of drinking coffee.

The News Gods seldom disappoint.

Mary Pflum (that's a good one) for CNN; February 7, 2023.
https://www.nbcnews.com/sci...helium-air-rcna69309

And the banner over the article... I was so caught up in "inflated"... can you believe I didn't even "register" this, the first time I saw it?

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The fate of America’s largest supply of helium is up in the air


Well... yes, you probably can believe.

[This message has been edited by rinselberg (edited 02-09-2023).]

Zeb FEB 10, 09:20 AM
Sorry, Rinse, it seems to have gone over my head.
MidEngineManiac FEB 10, 03:13 PM
The koolest kids at pre-school....My favorite animal is banana.

[This message has been edited by MidEngineManiac (edited 02-10-2023).]

Notorio FEB 11, 12:17 AM

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Originally posted by rinselberg:
Inflated..! Get it? Like inflating a balloon with helium! OMG! OMG! I feel like I've been breathing helium since arising, instead of drinking coffee ...



Talking after a gulp of Helium is fun, but talking after a gulp of SF6 is funner (I know, it's like ''bigly') ...

US Gov even considering selling the strategic Helium reserve into private hands?? Ye gods, what fools these politicians be. How many years until it would be owned by China??
Notorio FEB 11, 12:43 AM
Here's a little Helium trivia for those who are bored or unable to fall asleep (or both): it was first liquified by Heike Kamerlingh Onnes in 1908, at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands. In the 80s I had a Physics prof who was educated at Leiden who said that when he went through the system, people were STILL telling stores about him. Apparently, if you used liquid Helium in your research you had to put Onnes's name on whatever papers you wrote. The prof claimed there was a saying, 'There is no escaping Kamerlingh-Onnes!' that was still in use among department members those decades later. I mention this for two reasons:

1) that little phrase STILL comes into my mind when I run into any similar situation, and I have to chuckle at the humanity of it all, and,

2) our Prof gave us the impression that K-O did nothing but run the liquid Helium plant and pad his publication list but if you check out that link, you'll see that he was a pioneer in his own right (and now I know!)

Enjoy!