Radio presenter caught masturbating in-flight blames booze and painkillers

by Scott Carmichael on

A famous Irish radio presenter has taken to his own radio show to apologize for allegedly exposing himself to a female passenger and flight attendant, then masturbating in front of them. His actions took place on an Aer Lingus flight back in October flying from London Heathrow to Cork.

Neil Prendeville has 100,000 listeners on Cork96 FM, but claims he can not remember any details of the incident, blaming a mix of alcohol and codeine painkillers for his actions.

The news has clearly affected him quite badly – and he admits that he even contemplated suicide, but instead of taking the easy way out, he’s decided to try and educate people on the dangers of mixing alcohol and medication:

“I’m hoping others and people listening and those writing the article and whatever is to come will learn from this terrible personal experience and not mix painkillers or any tablets with alcohol.

As of right now, no charges have been filed, but the airline has concluded an investigation and passed their findings on to the police.

National parks free for Veterans Day

by Kraig Becker on

The National Park Service will host its final fee free day for 2010 this Thursday, November 11th, in honor of Veterans Day, allowing travelers to experience more than 100 parks that generally charge admission at no cost. For a complete list of those parks, grouped by state, click here.

A number of the parks will host special ceremonies or commemorative events to honor America’s veterans, including Valley Forge, the birthplace of America’s army, which will hold a moment of silence and a wreath laying-ceremony at 11AM near the National Memorial Arch. There will also be living history interpreters near the Muhlenberg Brigade huts throughout the day who will share insights and thoughts on the history of the place. Meanwhile, visitors to Morristown Historical National Park, located in New Jersey, can enjoy a new trail that is 27 miles in length and wanders through George Washington’s historic army encampment.

The Park Service’s fee free days have been quite a hit with travelers over the past couple of years, drawing visitors in by the thousands, and helping to set new attendance records across the system. It seems they’re planning on continuing the practice in 2011 as well, as they have already announced that entry to the parks will be free from April 16-24 to celebrate National Parks Week, and again on September 24 for Public Lands Day and November 11 for Veterans Day. More dates are expected to be announced soon.

Additionally, a number of the parks’ partners will also be offering special discounts, prizes, and other deals to visitors on Veterans Day. Click here to view a sampling of those special offers.

[Photo credit: National Park Service]

Man caught with drugs tied to his genitals faces five years in jail

by Scott Carmichael on

A passenger trying to get through the security checkpoint at Glacier Park airport in Montana was arrested when TSA staff caught him trying to transport ten grams of hashish.

The drugs were found during a pat down and were tied to a genital piercing. The local County Attorney has filed charges of possession of a dangerous drug, and now the 39 year old suspect faces up to five years in state prison and a $50,000 fine. He’s currently locked up with bail set at $30,000.

According to Google, an ounce of hashish retails for between $100 and $200, so the catch is worth considerably more than someone caught with a few grams of marijuana.

The last time TSA staff at Glacier Park airport apprehended a passenger carrying drugs was back in 2004.

I’m guessing the TSA supporters will use this as evidence that the new stricter pat-downs are effective at finding contraband. So, next time you face a secondary search, make you don’t have anything strapped to your genitals.

[Photo from Flickr/striatic]

Volcano grounds jets in Indonesia

by Sean McLachlan on

Flights between Singapore and several Indonesian cities, including the capital Jakarta, have been grounded due to the latest eruption of Mt. Merapi. The volcano has been erupting for two weeks and has killed more than 130 people and displaced two hundred thousand.

Several airports have closed and while the ash cloud has affected international flights, domestic flights are continuing as normal. So far the suspensions of flights are up to the individual airlines, but major carriers such as Singapore Airlines, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Lufthansa and Cathay have chosen to play it safe.

Merapi is one of the most active volcanoes in the Ring of Fire, a giant arch of tectonic activity around the Pacific. Back in 2006, an eruption displaced tens of thousands and prompted local villagers to try animist rituals to placate the volcano’s spirits.

[Image courtesy user Tequendamia via Wikimedia Commons]

American Airlines and Orbitz tangle over fees and booking process

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Do you use Orbitz to book flights on American Airlines? Well, your online travel buying habits may have to change. American is getting tough with Orbitz – and other online travel agencies – about how they do business together. For now, you can keep buying tickets on American via Orbitz, but a change could come as early as December 1, 2010.

The rhetoric is already high, as you can see in a recent Bloomberg report. Barney Hartford, the CEO of Orbits, said, “This is a broad attack by American on the travel distribution landscape.” The airline wants the likes of Orbitz to pull flight and fare info directly, rather than through a global distribution system.

So, is this all saber-rattling, or are American’s threats to pull out of Orbitz real. Bloomberg reports:

American can’t afford to pull its content off all the global distribution systems, and its conflict with Orbitz is a “private negotiation that suddenly became public,” said Jay Sorensen, president of aviation consultant Ideaworks and a former marketing director at Midwest Airlines.

Sorensen said he doesn’t “see an agenda here for American to remake the travel industry.” He indicated that this is part of a prudent negotiating strategy but noted that Orbitz may call the carrier’s bluff.

There’s a lot at stake – hundreds of millions of dollars, in fact. American has paid nine-figure sums to companies like Sabre and Galileo to gain access to online travel agencies and wouldn’t mind bypassing them and saving a few bucks, it seems.

So, will negotiations turn into a game of “chicken” as the end of the month approaches? Let’s wait and see how this develops.

[Via USA Today, photo by Deanster1983 via Flickr]