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?

Jumbo jets, like Boeing's classic 747, are a bit like that Buick your grandpa used to drive. They are sizable enough that you don't have to concern yourself too much with what is going on outside. What's a little turbulence to such a massive beast? What's a six hour flight when you can stand up and actually walk around? (I was a little kid last time I rode in "the boat," but you get the analogy).

High fuel prices have been grounding more and more of these large aircraft. And those who fly frequently are none to happy about it. Aside from a smoother ride, larger aircraft offer more seating options, more lavatories and more overhead space. If you are flying from New York to L.A. or Atlanta to Seattle, a little extra room can make a big difference.

Among major carriers, American and Delta still offer the most jumbo jet flights at more than 50 per day. However, wide-bodied planes are nowhere to be found on Northwest's and Continental's domestic routes. According to the industry, large aircraft will account for less that 1% of air traffic by the end of this year.

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As one of the duties to make sure air travel is safer, TSA inspectors check planes for security issues while the planes are parked.

Unfortunately, knowing which parts of planes should not be touched, and what a ladder looks like is a skill set that still needs some fine tuning.

According to this ABC News report, an inspector at Chicago's O'Hare Airport used sensitive instrument probes as handholds while climbing into nine American Eagle airplanes. These TAT probes, pictured, are important to the operation of flight computers. As a result, 40 commuter flights were delayed.

At the time, the TSA agent was attempting to determine if the aircraft could be broken into and an agency official is quoted as saying "Our inspector was following routine procedure for securing the aircraft that were on the tarmac."

Next time, try using a ladder and a brick.

This fountain in Madeira, Portugal says summer. How great would it be to run through this on a hot day?

I'm reminded of the other fountains where water arcs upwards from the ground. There's the fountain that Matt Harding of "Where the Hell is Matt?" dances in along with other dancing folks in Atlanta, Georgia, the one at the playground in Knights of Columbus Park in St. Cloud, Minnesota and the pop jet fountain at the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, Colorado.

This fountain shot by Donner00 looks almost animated. I can hear the sounds of the water--almost.

If you have a shot that has captured your fancy, capture ours at Gadling's Flickr photo pool. It could be chosen as a Photo of the Day.

From changing linens and towels daily to keeping the air conditioner in every room turned to 55 degrees in the summer, hotels have been coming under fire for a long time over their wasteful use of resources. With the environment in the spotlight as the 2008 US Presidential election approaches, hotels are beginning to take steps toward better environmental practices.

This morning, Sustainable Cards, maker of the United States' first wooden hotel keycards, announced that 70,000 biodegradable wooden keycards will be used in Denver hotels during next week's Democratic National Convention.

Wooden keycards have been used in European hotels for almost ten years. Sustainable Cards argues that these keys are just as durable as the plastic versions, but unlike plastic, wood is renewable and biodegradable. Right now, it is estimated that hotels in the US produce 1,300 tons of waste each year from plastic keycards alone.

If you are one of the first Americans to use these eco-friendly keycards in Denver, Sustainable Cards wants your feedback on their website. Of course, we want to hear about it, too. Leave your comments with us, and if you want more hotels to embrace these biodegradable keycards, let them know about it, too. Fill out comment cards when you stay or send suggestions via hotel websites.

Only in America could a really big television screen become a tourist attraction.

Tourist officials in Philadelphia have been blown away by the interest in the city's new Comcast Center, which opened in June boasting a 25-foot tall, 2,000-square-foot high-definition LED screen.

It has thousands of hours of content and, according to the Associated Press, has five times the resolution of a typical HD television!

There are dancing sequences! Footage from outer space! Sports highlights from Philadelphia teams!

People are apparently coming by the thousands to check it out.

Marilyn Overton, who came from the suburbs with her husband to see the screen recently, tells the AP: "At first it looks like a mural. And then all of a sudden, it's moving."

Philly is pimping the Comcast screen on its tourism Web site.

The screen runs 18 hours a day, everyday.

"I'm sure people will say, 'OK, I have to do the [Liberty] Bell, Independence Hall, cheesesteaks, the Rocky statue and the Comcast screen," Meryl Levitz, a chief executive of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp., tells the AP.

Then again, maybe not. Since the Comcast screen includes video of Philly's other historical sites, there may be little reason to see them in person.

Last Thursday evening I suddenly had the urge to take the family on a short trip for the weekend. We decided to avoid flying, and also to avoid heading North to the Wisconsin Dells like most people in Chicago do this time of year.

Instead, we loaded up the family truckster and drove 300 miles east to Frankenmuth Michigan.

Frankenmuth is often referred to as "Little Bavaria", and is the only city outside Germany that has been officially sanctioned by the city of Munich as an official Oktoberfest location.

The village is about 25 miles north of Flint, so you don't get the feeling you are completely isolated from civilization. Frankenmuth is home to several tourist attractions including Bronners Christmas Wonderland, the Bavarian Inn, the Bavarian Belle and the River Place shopping center.

Frankenmuth has several hotels, but to get the "real" Bavarian experience, you really need to stay at the Bavarian Inn Lodge. This 355 room hotel has grown from a modest motor lodge, into a large resort with multiple restaurants, 5 swimming pools, shops and a massive entertainment center with the "worlds largest Bavarian themed mini golf course".

Have you ever heard of Clearfield, Pennsylvania? Neither have I. But it's not much of a detour off Interstate 80, right in the center of the state, and the little town has a pretty amusing claim to fame.

Denny's Beer Barrel Pub in Clearfield is the home of the world's largest hamburgers. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, here is where you'll find the "largest hamburger commercially available," and if you can finish it, you'll have a place in the record books, too.

Owner Denny Liegey has been challenging customers with his behemoth burgers since the early 1990's. The pub challenges begin with a 2-pound burger, which seems tiny compared to 3, 6, and 15-pound versions. Those who finish their burgers (one challenger per burger, or two for the 15-pound "belly buster," and there's a time limit, of course) get their name and picture in the restaurant's hall of fame, as well as a t-shirt, certificate of completion, and a discount on their bill.

According to Denny, only one person has ever conquered the "Ye Olde 96er," which is 6 pounds of beef and 9 pounds altogether. This challenger was just "a little, skinny college girl from Princeton!"

The largest burger ever cooked at Denny's was the 123-pound monster pictured above. Read more about how Denny makes his giant burgers here.

So, do you think you could eat the world's largest burger? Perhaps a better question is why would you want to try?

The big burgers require several hours of preparation time, so if you're going to take on the challenge, call ahead. Good luck!

The story I read today about an adolescent girl with psychiatric problems being pushed out of China before the Olympics reminded me of details people need to consider before moving to another country to live with their children.

The girl, who is from Ohio, was living in Beijing with her parents. Her mother was a teacher at one of the international schools. After moving to China, the girl began to get into trouble due to some psychological issues. Prior to the Olympics, the Chinese officials put pressure on the family to get the girl out of China.

According to the article in today's Columbus Dispatch, the Chinese government wanted it to be smooth sailing when the guests arrived so people who were problematic, such as, political dissidents and protesters were removed from the city's scenery. The girl happens to fit the profile of undesirables.

Now that the girl and her mother are back in Ohio, they are having a hard time getting services to help the girl because they are technically not residents of Ohio anymore. They have overseas residential status, sort of. The health insurance they had in China doesn't cover them in the U.S.

In the meantime, the father is still working in China in order to make enough money to return back to the U.S. Depending on the contract he has, he may not have the cost of a flight back covered in his contract if he has to leave early. This is conjecture on my part, but plausible.

Remember Michael Fey, another teenage Ohioan who had issues while he was living in Singapore with his mother and step-dad? He was also sent back to the U.S., but not before being arrested, jailed and caned for punishment.

Although living the expat lifestyle overseas can be a wonderful experience, for people who have children with special needs, it can turn into a disaster. The support services are generally not there when it comes to special education and mental health issues. At least they are not typically as available as they are in the United States, and people can be left stranded to try to deal with problems on their own with little to no help.

Schools the students attend can be supportive up to a point, but they are in a position where they need to maintain a good relationship with the country in which they are located. If the boat springs a leak, so to speak, the person causing the leak my be dumped overboard. It's not personal. It's business.

If you're contemplating moving overseas with your family, know what services are available in a country before you ever sign a contract and get on that airplane. This is particularly important if you have a special needs child. The stress of adjusting to this new life can cause issues not anticipated as this Ohio family found out.

Remember those government-run tests of TSA security in which an investigator posing as a passenger tries to sneak a bomb by airport security? You know, those tests that the TSA routinely fails?

You'd think the TSA might try to learn something from these repeated embarrassments-- like why they keep happening and how to prevent them in the future. But a new report from the Government Accountability Office (my new favorite oxymoron) indicates that the investigators don't actually investigate why the screeners fail to find the prohibited items.

The Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Bennie Thompson, recently called the covert tests a "waste of money," saying that without a follow-up investigation as to why the guns, knives, and explosives weren't found, the program is useless.

The TSA, for its part, claims that it has implemented a number of new strategies as a result of the undercover tests, such as using machines to peer under passengers' clothing to find items metal detectors might miss. TSA spokeswoman Ellen Howe says that although the undercover investigators don't write down why the item managed to sneak through security, they disclose that information elsewhere, like at meetings.

In recent years, screeners at some airports have failed as much as 60% of the security tests the government has run.

Doesn't that just fill you with confidence?

More here.

[HT: Hit & Run]