Nick Maclaren wrote:
[...]
We have some of those lighter-than-air party balloons that have
remianed floating for over a month now - most impressive, as the
older ones used to flop after a day or two.

A friend said that this was due to the use of specially long
lived helium.

It's the special homoeopathic helium: once it's been properly succussed
and potentiated by extreme dilution, its memory is enhanced, so it lives
longer. Perfectly scientific once you understand the principles, though
it does take years of expensive training, of course. Ordinary
factory-made helium wouldn't work, as you have seen. It must be true, as
it works on animals.

--
Mike.