Nutty flight attendant Slater leaves JetBlue, claims he wasn’t fired

by Tom Johansmeyer on

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For JetBlue, at least, the Steven Slater saga appears to be finished. The flight attendant who couldn’t handle his passenger safety cart-pushing responsibilities any longer resigned from JetBlue last week, according to his attorney. Initially, the delusional employee wanted his old job back. JetBlue has said that Slater is no longer an employee but didn’t mention whose choice it was.

Following his ride to fame down the emergency slide, Slater was suspended by JetBlue, which was planning to investigate. Internally, the company referred to Slater as being as “dangerous as a gun.”

This is the end of a career that may have lasted two decades, depending on how much of Slater’s math you trust, and he spent the last three years at JetBlue.

Of course, Slater isn’t out of the woods yet. The flight attendant, lauded by airline employees as a show of customer contempt envy and solidarity, still has to contend with criminal charges, including criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and trespassing. His next court date is today.

Trucker-style pilot gets nine months in jail

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Stephen Sharp was pushing for probation. The former US Airways Express pilot was nailed by the feds for selling “selling a powdered drink mix over the Internet that he claimed was ‘100 percent’ effective in helping drug-using truck drivers, pilots and train engineers pass federally mandated drug tests.”

Yes, it was a genius move for a man in a highly regulated profession … which is why the judge gave him nine months behind bars for failing to grasp “the magnitude of the potential harm” of his actions.” Sharp lost his job after the feds raided his lab. So, it’s hardly surprising that the judge cut off Sharp’s lament with the question: “If you think those years were hard, how do you think you would have felt if a pilot was able to disguise his intoxication with your product and crashed a plane killing 250 people?” Cercone asked.

[photo by amandabhslater via flickr]

Minnesota porn ban to spank some hotels, except when too expensive

by Tom Johansmeyer on

If a porn ban in Minnesota‘s Winona County passes, hotels will have to operate under a “clean hotel” policy. County employees wouldn’t be able to stay at properties that have adult fare on the menu, though there are some specific exceptions to this rule. Ostensibly, this measure is intended to lower incidents of sexual and domestic violence, which the county says has a link to porn according to some studies (though there are indicators the other way, too).

According to a Winona Daily News:

“In and of itself, this policy is not a cure-all,” the document reads, “but it is an important effort to help prevent a social disease and its related costs to the public.”

Winona County officials believe that keeping porn out of hotels will alleviate the $221 million spent on issues related to sexual violence (in 2006). They feel that this form of prevention will lead to lower law enforcement costs. Winona Daily News continues:

“It is logical to assume that prevention of certain criminal activities would reduce the costs of providing these services,” the issue paper states. “Prevention would also prevent the much greater social cost to the community.”

In an effort to keep county workers from viewing adult entertainment – and banning local hotels from selling it in order to get county business, the state could be doing far more harm than good. The question staring me in the face is a simple and important one: does the county bring hotels more business than porn?

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For county workers, hotel stays entail local travel, so the business opportunity can’t be terribly high. The Winona Daily News notes that “law enforcement officials and other employees often require they spend the night in a hotel.”

Meanwhile, in-room adult entertainment is good for some big cash. The Family Research Council and a dozen other anti-porn organizations estimate that this form of entertainment is good for 60 percent to 80 percent of in-room entertainment revenue (though this is a dated estimate). Of course, the opponents of the freedom to view adult entertainment have had a tendency to pump up market size and other business-related numbers (as I found during four years of covering the business side of the adult entertainment industry) in order to emphasize its reach and influence. So, it makes sense to take a look at another source.

J.W. Marriott, whose background makes him no fan of adult content, is pretty clear on the importance of steamy televisions to his business. He wrote to the American Decency Association:

“If we were to eliminate R and non-rated offerings, the systems would not be economic [sic]. We believe it is more practical to have a system available through a wider variety and to allow our guests to make their own selections.”

Of course, the choice between county cash and porn cash may not be necessary. Given the nature of the hotel market in the state and the existing porn options, the measure may be close to irrelevant. Already, more than 480 “clean hotels” exist in the state, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. And, the rule only applies if a property is the “host site” for an event that the county employee is attending. Also, money does talk: if staying in porn-free digs would cost at least 15 percent more than staying at a porn-friendly establishment, the cost of “morality” isn’t worth it.

[Via USA Today, photo by Steve Zak Photography]

Big City Mountaineers begin early registration for 2011 adventures

by Kraig Becker on

Big City Mountaineers, an organization dedicated to changing the lives of urban youth through outdoor, wilderness encounters, has announced that early registration for the Summit For Someone program is now available, allowing altruistic and adventurous travelers to take part in one of their 2011 expeditions simply by paying a $50 early application fee. This reservation earns them one of just 150 slots on their 2011 roster of mountain climbs, giving participants the chance to scale such famous peaks as Mt. Rainier, Mt. Shasta, or even Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa.

The Summit For Someone program is the number one mountaineering fund raiser in the U.S., and a primary source of funding for the Big City Mountaineers. Those that choose to join a climb pledge to raise a certain amount of money for the organization, and in return they receive an adventure of a lifetime, and a gift card to help them purchase gear for their adventure. The amount of money that they pledge to raise varies depending on the climb, for instance, on a four day expedition to the top of Rainier, they’ll need to earn $4000, while a seven day ascent of the Alaskan peak Denali requires a pledge of $7500.

This year, the Summit For Someone program is more accessible than ever. In years past, a $1000 deposit was required by October 1st for participants to claim their spot. This year, they have been given the option to either pay a $450 deposit or raise $1250 in funds that will serve as the deposit instead.

Some of the other climbs that are included on the 2011 schedule for Summit For Someone include the 14,505 foot tall Mt. Whitney in California or the 13,809 foot Gannett Peak in Wyoming. There is also an expedition planned to climb volcanoes in Mexico, a beginner mountaineering seminar in Rocky Mountain National Park, and a full traverse of the Presidential Range in New Hampshire as well. For a complete list of the planned expeditions click here.

For adventure travelers, the Summit For Someone program is a great opportunity to not only experience a true wilderness adventure, but also give something back in the process. The money they raise goes directly to the Big City Mountaineers program, which in turn uses the funding to create meaningful experiences for at-risk urban youth who would normally never receive the opportunity to explore the outdoors in such a way. Each year, BCM helps hundreds of kids to build self-esteem, confidence, and communications skills through their program.

Travel, adventure, the great outdoors, and a chance to help a great organization. What more could you ask for?

[Photo credit: Walter Siegmund via WikiMedia]

Get lost in the largest corn maze in the world – Richardson Farm, Spring Grove IL

by Scott Carmichael on

As the summer heat makes way for moderate autumn days, farms around the nation open their doors for good clean farmland fun. One of those farms is the Richardson Farm in Spring Grove, IL.

Located about an hour north of Chicago, Richardson Farm is home to the largest corn maze in the world. With over 11 miles of paths, five different maze routes and a variety of other activities, Richardson is large enough to keep you entertained for a large part of your day (or longer if you get lost.)

Because the maze is split into various levels of difficulty, you can start off with a simple one, then make your way to a 6 mile trivia challenge. Thankfully, emergency escape pathways are located around the edge of the maze, so if you do get severely lost, you can find your way back to the entrance. To add a level of difficulty to the maze, it is also open for nighttime walks, which means you’ll definitely want to bring a flashlight.

On the grounds of the farm, you’ll also find an observation tower, kids slide and zip-line, hay ride, concessions, petting zoo, bike trails, an adult zip-line and Zorbing course. Admission to the farm is $12.95 for adults and $9.95 for kids 3 and up. The farm is closed on Monday and Tuesday. Check their site for opening hours on other days.

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