Switzerland in meltdown mode

The glacier is retreating at Interlaken, and Switzerland has recorded its hottest October on record.

Sitting along the lake in Lucerne yesterday were people in T-shirts eating ice cream cones.

Those who think global warming is a myth should take a look around them.

Rating the Signs

Warning signs are everywhere, but here's somebody who's thought about them for more than five minutes.

A sample: It's troubling that the symbol for "poison" and the symbol for "pirate" are the same.

To learn why, check out Danger Symbols.

Security Theater

Regular readers know that I travel a lot, and that I have definite opinions about the absurdity of the security theater that passes for the real thing in airports today.

As Bruce Schneier writes in his blog, "What we see here is class warfare on the security battleground. The reaction to Sept. 11 has led to harassment, busywork, and inconvenience for us all ­ well, almost all. A select few who know the right people, hold the right office or own the right equipment don’t suffer the ordeals. They are waved around security checkpoints or given broad exceptions to security lockdowns."

He's reacting to Double standards in security hassles.

Here's a snip: "Security in America is a dangerous farce; it’s busywork for tens of thousands of Transportation Security Agency officials, harassment for innocent Americans and full of holes that any slightly determined terrorist could drive an explosive-laden truck through. We are worrying about the wrong things."

IMHO, if Bob Sullivan (the author of that MSNBC piece) hadn't veered off into general aviation, his thesis would have been more coherent. Cory Lidle's small plane accident in Manhattan has little to do with terrorism and even less to do with security.

The bears are back!

My bookmarks disappeared from my browser.

But I was able to find my two favorite timewasters again (thanks, Google!).

Check out Tower of Bears or Just Letters when you'd rather play than work.

Speaking of flying

The tendency of flights to take off and arrive behind schedule continues.

My Delta flight from Atlanta to Paris was late, so I missed my connection to Bordeaux.

My Air France flight from Paris to Chicago was late, so I missed my connection to Indy.

It doesn't help that Air France misplaced one of my suitcases. One claims one's luggage and goes through Customs in Chicago, so I knew it was missing somewhere between Bordeaux and Chicago!

The missing bag didn't arrive at my door until three days after I did (surprisingly, however, it was still locked, undamaged and unpilfered). Where the heck was it?

The TSA has relented...a bit

Nice to know the TSA does have some (the emphasis on "some") common sense.

Stuff purchased in the area between security and boarding is now OK on board, but security theater continues.

Moms who want to carry breast milk with them on airplanes know what I mean. As one mom said in a recent New York Times article, if I had the baby with me, I wouldn't need to carry refrigerated breast milk!