U.S.S. Oriskany, McCain’s old stomping ground, now a diving destination in Florida

by Jamie Rhein on

Erik Olsen, former Gadling blogger extraordinaire (he topped 4,000 posts) has a recent article in the New York Times about the U.S.S. Oriskany, a battleship that was turned into an artificial reef off the coast of Florida near Pensacola.

This “great carrier reef,” Olsen reports, is one of the best places to dive in the United States and has put Pensacola in the money. Dive shops have done a booming business and the ship has generated a considerable sum for the county besides.

Along with divers, military buffs and those who served on the ship back when have come to see it.

John McCain, though, has yet to make an appearance. McCain’s plane took off from the ship’s deck almost 31 years ago on his last mission before he was shot down during the Vietnam conflict and found himself in the “Hanoi Hilton” aka, Hoa Lo Prison, most definitely not enjoying the city’s charm like I have.

As Olsen points out, there are some environmental concerns regarding sinking ships, however the Environmental Protection Agency helped to ensure the ship was cleaned up enough to be turned into an ocean life haven. Studies are being done to see what adverse environmental footprints are being made, if any. The fear is that PCBs are being released.

Regardless of the possible downside, barnacles, sea urchins and 38 fish species now call the Mighty O–the ship’s nickname, home. Also, it can’t be denied that sunken ships make great diving spots for folks who know what they are doing. Two people did die while diving at the Oriskany. One person died after getting the bends from diving down too far and coming up too fast, and the other one had a heart attack. The guy with the heart attack would have died regardless of what he was doing–even knitting.

Diving at the ship sounds fascinating–and I have a fear of drowning. Reading Olsen’s description gave me the inkling that learning to scuba dive needs to be bumped up on my things-to-learn list. Actually, I’m not sure scuba diving has been on my things-to-learn-list. I’ve penciled it in.

For a slide show of the ship, click here. Also, check out Olsen’s article. The guy can write. He can also scuba dive. This video was taken during his dive of the Mighty O. Plus, he can take pictures. The photo, as you might notice, is by him. Jeez, what can’t he do?

Could you be Southwest Airline’s new Blog-o-spondent?

by Grant Martin on

Are you handy with the camcorder, good at setting up shots and taking quality video? Were you the founding member and president of the A/V club in high school? Do people always think that you’re the center of attention at parties? Then you might be a great candidate for Southwest‘s new Blog-o-spondent position to which they just started recruiting.

Over the past few months, the airline took one of their lucky employees through a whirlwind tour of the company as she video blogged the entire experience. Now, they’re looking for a Southwest fan to hand off the reins. The lucky person will be assigned a year’s worth of excitement as he or she jetsets around the country, video blogging on the entire airline, experience and any excitement that’s going on in the Southwest community.

Obviously the airline is going to pick someone that’s quirky, loves flying and is great on video, so try to emulate those traits if you don’t have them and put together a one minute video application.

Think you’ve got what it takes? Take a look at the trailer and head over to Nuts About Southwest for details on the contest.

Video: Preparation of airline food

by Abha Malpani on

If you’ve wondered what goes into the preparation of food for an airline, here’s an interesting 5-minute video on the process. A few points of note: Up to 45,000 meals are made per day by airline catering companies; the type of food depends on the plane’s destination; pilots have to eat different food so as to avoid both of them being down should a full-related illness pop up on the flight; and, every meal is made to be served on the same day. Check it out.

[Via: Upgrade Travel Better]

Couple gets hitched while flying on top of two biplanes

by Jamie Rhein on


I’m sure Orville and Wilbur Wright would get a kick out of seeing how their invention has opened doors to new ways of finding wedded bliss.

When Katie Hodgson and Darren McWalters climbed up onto the top of the biplanes–one each, they weren’t the only ones getting strapped into place. A minister was strapped onto the 3rd plane.

My first thought was when I watched this video, I wonder where they found the daredevil minister? I was also impressed Katie was able to climb aboard in such a lovely dress. I also wondered if this couple knows the song, “On the Wings of Love?”

The wedding took place in Great Britain on Tuesday. For a detailed account, click here for an article I found. The groom used to be afraid of heights.

Food court musical by folks who cooked up frozen Grand Central

by Jamie Rhein on

A friend and I were looking through a few Improv Everywhere videos, the folks who created Frozen Grand Central, and loved this one so much we watched it twice and then showed it to others.

For anyone who has ever eaten in a food court anywhere in the world, imagine what it might be like if folks broke out into song, but not just any song–one that fit the location and the situation. This particular food court is in a shopping mall in Los Angeles.

One of the details I liked about this effort is the diversity of the entertainers, as well as, the audience members who had no idea what exactly was taking place as they chewed their food.

I loved the woman with the “baby.”

Can I get a napkin, please?